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

The NORML Foundation Weekly Press Release (Louisiana Governor
Backs Unprecedented Drug Testing Plan Despite Costs, Legal Problems;
Government's Household Survey Data Contradicts Proposition 215 Critics;
Private Researcher Plants First Medical Marijuana Crop; DEA Says Federal
Marijuana Prohibition Trumps Tribal Law Okaying Hemp Cultivation)

From: NORMLFNDTN@aol.com
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 11:34:00 EDT
Subject: NORML WPR 7/28/98 (II)

The NORML Foundation Weekly Press Release

1001 Connecticut Ave., NW
Ste. 710
Washington, DC 20036
202-483-8751 (p)
202-483-0057 (f)
www.norml.org
normlfndtn@aol.com

August 27, 1998

Louisiana Governor Backs Unprecedented Drug Testing Plan Despite Costs,
Legal Problems

August 27, 1998, Baton Rouge, LA: Governor Mike Foster vowed to
implement random drug testing to nearly 30,000 state welfare recipients
after criticizing the results of a questionnaire that determined few
recipients used drugs. If approved, the state-sponsored drug testing
program would likely be the largest in the nation.

"It is unprecedented for a Legislature to single out indigents and
compel them to prove they are 'drug free' as a condition of receiving
financial assistance," said attorney Tanya Kangas, Director of Litigation
for The NORML Foundation.

A 1997 law mandates drug testing for virtually all residents receiving
moneys from the state, including welfare recipients, state employees,
elected officials, state university students, and those holding state
contracts. Thus far, efforts to implement the new law have focused
almost exclusively on welfare recipients.

"There is no chance this law will survive a court challenge," NORML
Legal Committee member William Rittenberg said. In May, Rittenberg
successfully argued before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that
teachers and other public school employees may not be tested for drugs
following an accident on the job. "This Legislature likes to provide
work and easy cases to civil rights lawyers," he said.

State officials began screening welfare recipients for drugs this
summer by administering a written questionnaire that contained questions
regarding substance abuse. Governor Foster sharply criticized the
procedure after it netted fewer than 100 potential drug abusers out of
2,600 candidates. A Department of Social Services spokesman said the
initial screening is necessary because the state cannot test welfare
recipients without reasonable suspicion of drug use.

Apart from Constitutional issues, Foster's plan also raises some
serious financial questions. Rittenberg estimates that implementing
urine tests to the state's large welfare population will cost taxpayers
millions of dollars.

Individuals who refuse to comply with the policy or who test positive
on more than one occasion will no longer receive state aid, the 1997 law
stipulates.

For more information, please contact either attorney William
Rittenberg @ (504) 524-5555 or Tanya Kangas of The NORML Foundation @
(202) 483-8751.

***

Government's Household Survey Data Contradicts Prop. 215 Critics

August 27, 1998, Washington, DC: Use of marijuana and other drugs
among adolescents has not increased in California since the passage of
Proposition 215, according to data released Friday by the government's
National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

"These figures belie claims of Prop. 215 opponents, led by Attorney
General Dan Lungren and Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey, that the approval of
medical marijuana will lead to an explosion of teen drug abuse in
California," Dale Gieringer said.

The survey found that adolescent marijuana use is lower in California
than in other states. Among youth age 12 to 17, less than seven percent
of Californians reported using marijuana monthly versus ten percent
nationwide.

Survey data did find that a higher percentage of California adults
reported using marijuana than the national average, but noted that this
figure has remained stable since 1994.

"The new Household data, the first to cover the post-1996 period,
flatly contradict claims that Proposition 215 sent a 'damaging signal' to
both adults and children," Gieringer said. This year's Household survey
included special close-up data for California at the request of Office of
National Drug Control Policy head Barry McCaffrey. After the passage of
Proposition 215 in November 1996, McCaffrey alleged that "increased drug
abuse in every category will be the inevitable result" of the medical
marijuana law.

Nationwide, the survey determined that more adolescents reported using
marijuana in 1997 than the previous year.

For more information, please contact either Dale Gieringer of
California NORML @ (415) 563-5858 or Allen St. Pierre of The NORML
Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.

***

Private Researcher Plants First Medical Marijuana Crop

August 27, 1998, London, England: The first private researcher to
receive a federal license to grow marijuana for medical purposes planted
his initial crop Monday. He will grow the plants at an undisclosed
greenhouse research facility in the south of England.

Dr. Geoffrey Guy, chairman of GW Pharmaceuticals, received permission
from the federal government in June to grow marijuana for medical
research. He announced in July that he will begin clinical trials to
examine the therapeutic effects of whole smoked marijuana on multiple
sclerosis patients, and discouraged efforts to synthesize medical
compounds in the plant. "I don't see the value in taking apart something
that seems to work at the moment," he previously told a House of Lords
committee.

Private researchers in America who wish to follow in Guy's footsteps
will be disappointed. Presently, only the National Institute on Drug
Abuse (NIDA) has permission to grow marijuana for research purposes. The
agency almost exclusively limits it supply of marijuana to federal
researchers hoping to determine harmful effects of the plant. In August
1997, a National Institute of Health (NIH) expert panel on medical
marijuana urged NIDA to implement policy changes to expedite medical
marijuana research, but the agency has refused to do so.

For more information, please contact either Paul Armentano of NORML @
(202) 483-5500 or NORML board member Rick Doblin @ (617) 484-9509.
	
***

DEA Says Federal Marijuana Prohibition Trumps Tribal Law Okaying Hemp
Cultivation

August 27, 1998, Pine Ridge, SD: Federal officials will not recognize
legislation passed recently by Council members of the Oglala Sioux Indian
Tribe legally distinguishing between marijuana and hemp, a DEA spokesman
announced recently. The conflict appears to set the stage for a federal
lawsuit if tribal members go through with plans to cultivate the
non-psychoactive strain of the plant.

Tom Cook, who is overseeing the Sioux hemp project, said that the
tribe anticipates filing an injunction against the DEA. "[This is] a
question [of] whether the tribe has sovereignty over its own land."

Earlier this month, council members approved an ordinance recognizing
hemp as a "safe and profitable" crop that is legally distinct from
marijuana. Responding to the measure, DEA Acting Associate Chief Counsel
May Kate Whaelen said that the agency would still move to prosecute
anyone cultivating hemp on the reservation.

For more information, please contact either Paul Armentano or attorney
Tanya Kangas of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751. Tom Cook may be
contacted @ (308) 432-2290.

				- END -

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

Feds Approve Grant To Hire 240 Oregon State Police Troopers
('The Associated Press' Says That If The Oregon Legislature Agrees
To Provide Matching Funds, Bloating The Outrageous Proportion
Of The State's Budget Already Devoted To Law Enforcement, Courts And Prisons,
A Grant From President Clinton's COPS Program - The Office Of Community
Oriented Policing Services - Will Provide Enough Money To Nearly Double
The Ranks Of The State Police)

Associated Press
found at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/
feedback (letters to the editor):
feedback@thewire.ap.org

Feds approve grant to hire 240 Oregon State Police troopers

The Associated Press
8/28/98 12:12 PM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Oregon State Police could nearly double its ranks
of troopers with a grant approved by the federal government.

The program, however, requires matching funds that the Oregon Legislature
must decide whether to provide.

The grant from President Clinton's COPS program -- the Office of Community
Oriented Policing Services -- totals more than $18 million over three years
and could allow the state police to hire 240 troopers to boost the 360
uniformed officers already on patrol.

State Police Superintendent LeRon R. Howland said the U.S. Justice
Department would set the money aside to allow state lawmakers flexibility in
deciding how much to spend on new troopers.

Howland said the agency has lost 250 uniformed patrol positions since 1981,
closed several police offices and left some areas of the state without
24-hour coverage.

More troopers to patrol interstate and state highways also would free up
county and city police departments to spend more time on criminal
investigations, Howland said.

Senate Majority Leader Gene Derfler, R-Salem, said support for expansion was
likely.

"I think it would be very favorable because we didn't fund the state police
with many positions last time," Derfler said.

Studies have shown since 1992 that Oregon has only about half the number of
troopers it should have.

(c)1998 Oregon Live LLC

Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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

Doctor's Family Sues Psychiatrist ('The Associated Press' Says The Family
Of Dr. Richard K. Dickson, A Doctor In Lake Oswego, Oregon,
Who Committed Suicide Nearly Three Years Ago, Is Suing His Psychiatrist,
Dr. John Lingas, For $3.5 Million, Claiming Dr. Dickson Was Addicted
To 'Drugs' And Dr. Lingas Should Have Hospitalized Him And Required Him
To Undergo Drug Testing)

Associated Press
found at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/
feedback (letters to the editor):
feedback@thewire.ap.org

Doctor's family sues psychiatrist

The Associated Press
8/28/98 5:31 AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The family of a Lake Oswego doctor who committed
suicide nearly three years ago is suing his psychiatrist for $3.5 million,
claiming the death could have been prevented.

Dr. Richard K. Dickson, who died Oct. 28, 1995, was addicted to drugs and
had been suicidal for some time, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in
Multnomah County Circuit Court.

The lawsuit claims Dickson's psychiatrist, Dr. John Lingas, provided care
that was below the standard of a reasonable psychiatrist and was a
"substantial factor" in causing Dickson's death.

Dickson was a patient of Lingas' from 1988 until about three weeks before
his death. The lawsuit says Lingas should have hospitalized Dickson in 1994
or 1995 and required him to undergo drug testing.

Dickson, who was 41 when he died, ran a general medical practice and also
worked in Legacy Emanuel Hospital's emergency room.

Dickson's widow, Laura Wallace-Dickson, is seeking $3 million in lost
earnings, $500,000 for loss of companionship and $7,500 for funeral expenses.

The Dicksons' two children are now 11 and 15 years old.

Mrs. Dickson's lawyer, Timothy J. Jones, said he did want to comment beyond
the court documents. Lingas was out of the office Thursday and could not be
reached for comment.

(c)1998 Oregon Live LLC

Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

***

[ed. note: The editor (pdxnorml@pdxnorml.org) would appreciate learning
what 'drug' the dead man was allegedly 'addicted' to.]

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

State Agrees To Waive Bill ('The Associated Press' Says A Man Who Was Stuck
With A $4,517.20 Cleanup Bill After He Reported Finding A Methamphetamine Lab
In A Horse Trailer On His Property Near Eagle Point, Oregon, Won't Have To Pay
Because He Exercised Due Diligence In Reporting The Mess)

Associated Press
found at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/
feedback (letters to the editor):
feedback@thewire.ap.org

State agrees to waive bill

The Associated Press
8/28/98 7:40 PM

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- A man stuck with a $4,517.20 cleanup bill after he
reported finding a methamphetamine lab in a horse trailer on his property
near Eagle Point won't have to pay after all.

The state has agreed to waive the bill, said state Rep. Judy Uherbelau,
D-Ashland.

Uherbelau, a lawyer, said she checked state law when it looked like
landowner Al Doty would be penalized for having reported a crime.

"This guy was an innocent person in the whole thing," she said.

Uherbelau said the law was designed to make landowners pay because it's
usually the landowner's fault. The bills aren't supposed to go to landowners
who exercise due diligence in reporting an illegal lab, she said.

"It's not a good idea to discourage people from doing this," she said.

Doty said he still would encourage others to report drug activity.

"They ought to turn in all the druggies," he said.

Doty still has several bills to pay, including the cost of having a local
firm test soil in the area, but "it's not so horrendous now," he said.
"That's a relief."

Uherbelau did not know if the state can go after other responsible parties
for the cleanup costs. If not, the state will absorb the cost, she said.

Doty said he was grateful for Uherbelau's help.

"I just wanted it brought to people's attention that the state does respond
when it's brought to their attention," she said.

(c)1998 Oregon Live LLC

Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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

Officer's File Shows Problems ('The Columbian' In Vancouver, Washington,
Says Five Months Before Vancouver Police Officer Aaron Gibson Was Fired
For Leaving Behind Flash-Bang Grenades That Blew Off The Hand
Of A 13-Year-Old Girl, He Received A 'Below Average' Performance Review)

The Columbian
701 W. Eighth St.
Vancouver WA 98666
Tel. (360) 694-2312
Or (360) 699-6000, Ext. 1560, to leave a recorded opinion
From Portland: (503) 224-0654
Fax: (360) 699-6033
E-mail: editors@columbian.com
Web: http://www.columbian.com/

OFFICER'S FILE SHOWS PROBLEMS

Friday, August 28, 1998

By STEPHANIE THOMSON, Columbian staff writer

Five months before Vancouver Police Officer Aaron Gibson was fired for
leaving behind flash-bang grenades that blew off the hand of a 13-year-old,
he received a "below average" performance review.

He was also judged by his peers to be a poor role model for new officers.

The transcript from Gibson's arbitration hearing, released to The Columbian
Thursday, show the city justified its disciplinary actions in part by
arguing Gibson had problems in the department long before he was fired last
December.

The Vancouver Police Officers Guild, which had contested the firing, insists
the punishment was too severe.

The closed hearing was July 20-24 in Vancouver in front of Seattle
arbitrator Janet Gaunt.

Her decision is expected in October.

During the arbitration hearing, which focused on Gibson's history with the
department, the guild debated the severity of some of his past offenses,
including four minor traffic accidents. The guild also took issue with
police supervisors that suggested Gibson had an attitude problem.

Police Chief Doug Maas testified a pivotal factor for him in deciding Gibson
should be fired was how he reacted after Lieshell Booth blew her hand off.

Officer Steve Neal, who received a 45-day suspension without pay for his
role in leaving the flash-bang grenades behind, came to Maas' office
"teary-eyed" and told the chief he hadn't been able to sleep.

"I feel like he learned something deeply," Maas said, with regard to Neal.
But for Gibson, "I didn't have the feeling that it had really sunk in with
Aaron that he had, again, accepted that he had a real personal part of this."

Other officers testified that Gibson, father of two daughters, did say he
was sorry for the girl.

When the guild's attorney asked Maas, "And when somebody says they are sorry
about something, that suggests an acceptance of some level of personal
responsibility, doesn't it?"

"Not necessarily," Maas replied. "People can say anything. In this case they
dealt with Aaron Gibson over a period of time, watched his nonverbal
reaction during numerous meetings, heard him express those words, and I'm
not saying he was happy, and I suppose that he was sorry. ... You know, the
best predicator of the future is sometimes history. (In no previous case)
was I able to find something where he stepped up and acknowledged that the
things were his fault. And his records showed repetitive problems of various
degrees. And that, along with his behavior in this case, again, left me ...
wondering if he if he came back to work what I would be dealing with next."

Guild attorney Dave Snyder said if Gibson was such an attitude problem,
supervisors failed to document it in his personnel file.

The guild also shifted the focus to the fact that the city had no written
policy on dealing with flash-bang grenades. They also protested City Manager
Vernon Stoner's involvement in the firing decision. Police contracts
stipulate the police chief, not the city manager, will determine discipline.

However, Maas testified it was a joint decision among himself, Stoner and
department heads, including Human Resources Director Mary Kaye Fisher and
Deputy City Manager Mary Jo Briggs. It was appropriate for Stoner to step
in, Maas testified, because Maas himself was disciplined over the incident,
and there could have been questions about his ability to make an objective
decision.

When asked if Stoner ever told him to fire Gibson, Maas replied, "No, he did
not."

Prior suspensions

Before Gibson, 30, joined the Vancouver Police Department, he worked for the
Los Angeles Police Department. While a patrol officer with the LAPD from
1989 to 1992, he received a one-day suspension for failing to appear in
court to testify and a four-day suspension for discharging a shotgun.

In Vancouver, he received:

* a one-day suspension for a 1997 on-duty car accident that cost the city
about $5,000;

* a written reprimand for missing court appearances in 1996;

* "below average" rankings in a 1997 performance review for mishandling
police equipment and showing up late to work;

* notes in his file for three other on-duty traffic accidents deemed his fault;

* notice from a sergeant in July 1997 that four supervisors had taken the
rare step of determining he lose his status as a field training officer
because the recent performance review made him a poor role model for new
recruits.

Referring to this record, Jeff Hollingsworth, an attorney for the city, told
the arbitrator "the city concluded, based on a review of Mr. Gibson's entire
record, that he had a history of creating potential liability ... that his
past behavior revealed a consistent pattern of denying responsibility for
his actions."

In his five years, Gibson was never promoted above the entry-level status of
patrol officer but was a member of the SWAT team, had more than 100 hours of
tactical training and early performance reviews that were all positive.

Last year, he was appointed range master and began supervising training at
the firing range.

His performance review issued last July said the department had been
receiving an increasing number of calls regarding public dissatisfaction
with his "aura" and that Gibson seemed to suffer from "officer burnout."

"I sort of slowed down my activity, clearly," Gibson testified. "I mean, I
wasn't the I certainly wasn't getting the same marks. And I think he was
saying that I was starting to stabilize and not just running, you know, 500
miles an hour with my hair on fire."

But he still loved his job: "It was challenging, it was exciting. I was glad
to do it. It's one of those ego investment careers. You know, you ask people
what are you. Well, I'm a human being. You ask others, I'm a cop, I'm a
lawyer, I'm a doctor. That's what I was, I was a cop."

As to why Gibson was asked to run the training exercises Aug. 1 at the
Liberty Court Apartments, Sgt. Jim Rogers testified he selected Gibson
because "he had just a good reputation for being very knowledgeable and
conscientious.

"I just felt he was probably one of the best people we had in the department
to conduct that sort of training," Rogers added.

The Liberty Court incident

The Aug. 1, 1997, training exercises at the boarded-up apartments in west
Vancouver included two demonstrations by Gibson on operating flash-bang
grenades. Technically known as distractive devices and used to scare or
disorient suspects, the grenades use reload shells about 6-inches long and
1-inch in diameter.

At the training site, Gibson had forgotten to bring the flash-bang grenades
so he sent officer Steve Neal back to the police station to pick them up. He
testified he did not know how many Neal brought. Gibson said if he would
have known there were live shells in the building, he would have picked them
up before leaving.

The missing shells went unnoticed until Aug. 12, when Booth found the shells
and detonated one. No one from her family testified at the hearing.

Officer Neal testified that on the morning of a training exercise in July,
neighborhood children were caught playing in the building and had to be
chased out by officers.

Last December, Stoner and Maas announced the punishments: Gibson was fired,
Neal, whose record was described in testimony as "spotless," would get a
45-day suspension without pay and Maas would take a 5 percent pay cut.

During his testimony, Gibson recalled meeting with Stoner before he was
fired and discussing who was at fault.

"Steve Neal and I miscommunicated, and because of that miscommunication,
those diversion devices were left in the building," Gibson testified. "Now
is that a factor for this girl losing her hand? Absolutely, there is some
responsibility there, absolutely there is. Am I fully responsible for it?
I'm sorry, I know too much about this to say that this was solely my fault.
And I was not going to say that in that meeting that day."

Sherri Nee contributed to this story.

TIMELINE

September 1996: City plans to buy and demolish 83 properties to make way for
Mill Plain extension.

Aug. 1, 1997: Vancouver police patrol officers use Liberty Court Apartments
for training. Three reload shells for "flash-bang" grenades are left behind.

Aug. 12, 1997: Lieshell Booth, 13, climbs into second-story window, finds
shells and detonates one, blowing off her right hand.

Aug. 13, 1997: Booth's parents retain attorneys Mark Muenster and John Muenster.

Aug. 15, 1997: Vancouver police start an internal-affairs investigation to
determine who left the shells behind.

Dec. 8, 1997: City Manager Vernon Stoner fires patrol officer Aaron Gibson.
Officer Steve Neal gets 45-day suspension without pay. Chief Doug Maas takes
5 percent pay cut. Vancouver Police Officers Guild appeals the punishments.

July 7, 1998: Booth's parents file a claim with the city for an unspecified
amount of money. The city has yet to respond.

July 20-24, 1998: Seattle arbitrator Janet Gaunt hears Gibson's case. Her
decision is expected in October.

WHAT WITNESSES SAID AT GIBSON HEARING

Here's a list of the witnesses who were called in the Aaron Gibson
arbitration hearing, July 20-24, in Vancouver:

For the city of Vancouver

Steve Neal: Corporal with the Vancouver Police Department suspended for 45
days without pay. Testified miscommunication resulted in flash-bang grenades
being left behind after the Aug. 1 training exercises at the Liberty Court
Apartments. Also testified children had been in the building the morning of
a July 23 training session.

Steve Lobdell: VPD patrol officer present at the training. Testified to the
lack of formal procedures in dealing with flash-bang grenades.

Chris Sutter: VPD internal affairs investigator. Testified no sweep of the
building was done after the exercises and also testified about Gibson's past
problems in the department.

Doug Maas: VPD chief. Received a 5 percent pay cut for not having written
procedures on handling flash-bang grenades. Testified it was his
recommendation Gibson be fired and that he considered past problems with
Gibson in making his decision.

Scott Creager: VPD sergeant who responded to the Liberty Court Apartments
Aug. 12 after Booth had blown her hand off. Testified it was a flash-bang
grenade that caused her injury.

Patrick Fitzimons: Former Seattle chief of police called as an expert in
police administration. Testified the city's disciplinary actions were fair
and warranted.

Keith Hyde: VPD sergeant. Testified that before the accident he had convened
a four-person panel of supervisory officers who voted Gibson should lose his
status as a field training officer because of his recent below-average
performance review. They believed Gibson did not set a good example for
rookie officers.

Fred Wolfe: VPD lieutenant. Testified that he investigated the scene on Aug.
12 and believes Gibson should have known better than to leave the grenade
devices behind.

Janet Thiessen: VPD lieutenant. Testified about the policies under which
Gibson was fired and that he had past problems including four at-fault
traffic accidents and not showing up when called to court to testify by the
city's prosecuting attorney.

Rex Gunderson: VPD sergeant and former SWAT team leader. Testified that at
past training exercises a sweep was always done to make sure items weren't
left behind.

For the Vancouver Police Guild

James Burgara: VPD patrol officer. Testified Gibson attended a SWAT team
leaders' course with him in Seattle a few years ago.

Michael Cobb: Patrol sergeant with city of Richland Police Department.
Testified about SWAT training policies.

Aaron Gibson: Former VPD patrol officer who was fired last December for,
among other things, leaving the flash-bang grenades behind at the training
site. Testified to the contents of his personnel file, including a recent
performance review ranking him "below average." Also testified he accepts
some responsibility for a 13-year-old losing her hand but said the
department was also to blame for not having better policies in place.

Joseph Callanan: Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy
called as an expert witness to refute testimony by Patrick Fitzimons.
Testified the firing of Gibson was too extreme.

Howard Anderson: VPD corporal and president of the Vancouver Police Officers
Guild. Testified the firing of Gibson stirred public outrage and that the
guild objected to City Manager Vernon Stoner taking part in handing out the
discipline.

Scott Bieber: VPD lieutenant. Testified about negotiating with the city on
behalf of the guild in 1992 and that the officers' contracts stated the
chief of police would hand out discipline, not the city manager.

Jim Rogers: VPD Sergeant and former training officer. Testified he asked
Gibson to run the Aug. 1 training exercises at the Liberty Court Apartments
because of Gibson's solid reputation.

Excerpts from the hearing

"I called him up and said, 'Steve, have you heard what happened to that
girl?' He said, 'Yeah.' And I asked him, 'I just want to be sure, how many
devices did we take out there that day?' And he said, 'I don't know, four or
five.' Four or five? That kind of surprised me because I wasn't sure how
many he brought. So I tried to ask another question.

OK. 'Steve, I brought two out, how many did you take? I brought two back,
how many did you take?' And he said, 'I didn't take back any. And my heart
stopped. And I told him that I was going to try to get ahold of (officers)
Lobdell and Janisch and see whether they had, you know, picked these things
up, hoping, praying they did."

Aaron Gibson, on calling fellow officer Steve Neal after hearing the news a
13-year-old girl blew off her hand at a police training site

"And then the city manager looked at me and said, 'Chief, where are you at,
then, in regards to Officer Gibson?' And I can't remember exactly how I
phrased this. I know that I said to him, I said, 'Vernon, I can't look you
in the face and guarantee you that if we bring Officer Gibson back, that
there won't be some subsequent problem.'"

Police Chief Doug Maas, on meeting with department heads to discuss punishments

"Most of her right hand was missing. There was a lot of tissue damage to her
right hand with some I don't know what, a lot of tissue damage to her hand,
and some things hanging out, some fleshy things that I couldn't tell what
they were."

Sgt. Scott Creager, describing what he saw upon arriving to the Liberty
Court Apartments on Aug. 12, 1997

"I personally think that (Aaron Gibson) has painted quite a target on
himself that, that if he were to be hired by another agency, and I don't
think another agency would touch him, but if he were, he would be a walking
liability."

Former Seattle Chief of Police Patrick Fitzimons, testifying the city was
justified in firing Gibson

"At the time that this event happened, (Aaron Gibson) was being held up by
the department as an expert ... That's hardly an embarrassment to the
department. It's hardly something that is censurable. It's actually
something very commendable. Now if you let 12 days go by and a horrible
event takes place, you look at it differently. But at that time that he was
acting and including his oversight, that was not conduct unbecoming."

Retired Los Angeles Sheriff's Department deputy Joseph Callanan, witness for
the guild, testifying Gibson did not deserve to be fired

[Sidebar:]

Newspaper filed request for transcript

The Columbian obtained a copy of the Aaron Gibson hearing transcript after
the newspaper filed a public disclosure request under the Freedom of
Information Act with City Attorney Ted Gathe. Gathe said the city would
release a copy unless prevented by court order. At 10 a.m. Thursday no order
had been filed and the city released the transcript. Earlier, The Columbian
had requested the arbitration hearing be open. The city agreed, but the
Vancouver Police Officers Guild protested. Arbitrator Janet Gaunt ruled to
not open the hearing.

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

Inmate, Denied 'Playboy,' Files Suit Against County ('The Columbian'
In Vancouver, Washington, Says A Clark County Cocaine Offender
Filed The Lawsuit August 6 In US District Court In Tacoma, Citing A Decision
By The Ninth US Circuit Court Of Appeals This Summer That Found A Blanket Ban
By Arizona's Maricopa County Jail On Publications Showing Frontal Nudity
To Be Unconstitutional)

The Columbian
701 W. Eighth St.
Vancouver WA 98666
Tel. (360) 694-2312
Or (360) 699-6000, Ext. 1560, to leave a recorded opinion
>From Portland: (503) 224-0654
Fax: (360) 699-6033
E-mail: editors@columbian.com
Web: http://www.columbian.com/

INMATE, DENIED PLAYBOY, FILES SUIT AGAINST COUNTY

Friday, August 28, 1998

By BRUCE WESTFALL, Columbian staff writer

How much are the monthly issues of Playboy magazine worth?

About $500,000, according to a Clark County Jail inmate who filed a federal
lawsuit this month against the county for denying him a subscription to the
magazine.

Dale L. Thompson, 40, filed the lawsuit Aug. 6 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

"Jail staff denied me my subscription to Playboy magazine, stating that they
were not going to change jail policy for me, and that I would have to take
them to court," Thompson wrote in a complaint filed with the county.

Thompson, a chronic critic of his treatment in jail, claims the Playboy
subscription is constitutionally guaranteed, and he appears to be right.

Most inmates aren't in the jail long enough to make subscribing to a
magazine worth it. The average stay is only 14 or 15 days.

But Thompson may be one of those inmates who'll be behind bars long enough
to actually receive a subscription. He was convicted Thursday of possession
of cocaine and two counts of bail jumping. He will be sentenced Sept. 9.

In addition, he's awaiting trial in U.S District Court in Tacoma on three
federal weapons charges.

Thompson's lawsuit follows a decision of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals this summer that found a blanket ban by Arizona's Maricopa County
Jail on publications showing frontal nudity to be unconstitutional.

The 9th Circuit hears appeals from western federal courts including Washington.

The Clark County Jail policy is similar to the one in Arizona, said Jail
Chief Joe Dunegan, and it was "unfortunately" just made stricter last June,
he said.

The court decision apparently doesn't open the door for all sexually
explicit magazines, Dunegan said, "but it forbids a total ban and we'll
probably have to look at them on a case-by-case basis."

Dunegan believes few county inmates actually seek magazine subscriptions
because of their short stays.

Nevertheless, he said, some kind of policy is needed for a couple reasons.
"One thing we really looked at was the atmosphere of sexual harassment in
the workplace," Dunegan said. "Our staff isn't allowed to have or post those
kinds of pictures, so why should they be exposed to that because an inmate
posts a picture or leaves a magazine out? We felt it was staying with the
trend as far as sexual harassment in the workplace."

In Maricopa County, inmates had used photos to taunt female guards.

In addition, Dunegan said, "you take a large group of same-sex people, crowd
them into a housing area and bombard them with sexually explicit materials
and it could increase the number of assaults and sexual assaults."

In the Arizona decision, a federal appeals judge said she questions "whether
all materials depicting nudity are reasonably likely to be the cause of
violence or a tool of harassment."

Thompson has not been a stranger in federal court. He filed two federal
lawsuits against the county and various police officers in connection with a
1995 murder arrest. One case settled for $5,000; the other is pending.

And he has signaled that he could generate other legal actions. In addition
to the Playboy matter, Thompson has filed two claims with Clark County
asking $11.75 million over other allegations that he was mistreated in jail.
Those claims typically precede a lawsuit.

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

Man Gets Life Term For Drug-Related Killing ('The Fort Worth Star-Telegram'
Says Freddie Lee Pendley Will Spend At Least 40 Years In Prison
After A Texas Jury Convicted Him This Week Of Killing A Man
And Wounding The Man's Wife In 1996 While Stealing
Unspecified 'Drugs' From Them)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: TX Man gets life term for drug-related killing
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 20:27:06 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Friday, Aug. 28, 1998 at 00:08 CDT

Man gets life term for drug-related killing

By Gabrielle Crist
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH -- A Fort Worth man will spend at least 40 years in prison after
a jury convicted him this week of killing a man and wounding the man's wife
in 1996 while stealing drugs from them.

Jurors in state District Judge James Wilson's court deliberated about four
hours Wednesday before convicting Freddie Lee Pendley, 34, of capital murder
and attempted capital murder. Because prosecutors waived the death penalty,
Pendley received an automatic life sentence on the capital murder charge.

Wilson sentenced Pendley to 25 years in prison for the attempted capital
murder conviction, after prosecutors Fred Rabalais and Robert Martinez
reached an agreement on the sentence with defense attorneys Brantley Pringle
and Mike Sadler.

Pendley and his girlfriend, Audrey Weaver, 28, of Azle, killed William C.
Wollfarth, 53, and wounded Wollfarth's wife, Rhonda Fallin, 30, on June 13,
1996. Pendley and Weaver had gone to the victims' home in the 1000 block of
West Jefferson Avenue to steal drugs from them. Pendley had supplied
Wollfarth and Fallin with drugs before, according to court testimony.

Weaver testified against Pendley and received a 15-year sentence for
attempted capital murder in a plea agreement reached with prosecutors.

Weaver also pleaded guilty to capital murder, but prosecutors agreed not to
prosecute her on that charge on the condition that she testify against
Pendley.

Gabrielle Crist, (817) 390-7662

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

Witness Testifies Huge Marijuana Stash Is 'Delivery' Amount
('The Kalamazoo Gazette' Says A Michigan Woman Who Is On Trial
For Marijuana Trafficking Because Prohibition Agents Found 132 Pounds
Of The Herb In Her Basement - But Not Her Fingerprints - Told The Jury
That She Didn't Use Cannabis And Someone Else With Access To Her House
Stored It There Without Her Knowledge)

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 15:11:27 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US MI: Witness Testifies
Huge Marijuana Stash Is 'Delivery' Amount
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 Kalamazoo Gazette
Contact: http://fl.mlive.com/about/toeditor.html
Website: http://kz.mlive.com/
Pubdate: Fri, 28 Aug 1998
Author: Stephanie Esters, Gazette Staff

WITNESS TESTIFIES HUGE MARIJUANA STASH IS 'DELIVERY' AMOUNT

Jury deliberating case against woman who had 132 pounds of drugs in her
basement.

The cubes of marijuana taken from a house at 1703 Princeton was enough to
last a lifetime, an undercover officer testified at a drug possession trial
on Thursday.

"That will last more than the lifetime of one person," the Kalamazoo Valley
Enforcement Team agent testified, referring to the six boxes of confiscated
marijuana.

The 132 pounds of marijuana were taken from the house rented by Beatriz
Valdez Pina, who is charged with possession with intent to deliver more
than 45 kilograms of a marijuana and maintaining a drug house.That quantity
of marijuana has a street value of $150,000, according to the prosecution.

Defense attorney Patti Shirley said Pina was not aware there was marijuana
in the basement and maintained that someone else with access to the house
was storing it there without her knowledge.

The Kalamazoo County Circuit Court jury of 10 women and two men received the
case late Thursday afternoon.

During the one day of testimony, the undercover agent said he went into the
house with a search warrant on Nov. 29. He said he was met with an
overpowering aroma of marijuana as he started to descend the basement
stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was a lot of cellophane plastic wrap, and cubes
of marijuana were found to the side of the furnace in the center of the
basement.

"When you have that amount of marijuana, that is delivery amount," as
opposed to user quantity, he said.

None of Pina's fingerprints were recovered from the mounds of evidence
removed from her basement, the officer testified.

Assistant prosecuting attorney Dave DeBack also called on Ollie Chambers,
the landlord, who testified that Pina was the only person to whom he rented
the house.

The undercover agent's supervisor, Sgt. Michael Mastromatteo, testified that
Pina told him she knew he was there because of the "stuff in the basement,"
which she later clarified as being "marijuana."He said she also told him she
did not use the drug.

But Shirley maintained Pina knew the KVET officers were there to search her
house for drugs because the undercover officer said so when he returned to
the residence with a search warrant.

In closing arguments, DeBack said Pina was clearly maintaining a drug house.
He then started to stack the six boxes of marijuana on the edge of the
prosecution table.

"The reason I'm stacking this up is because the defendant has built herself
a wall of ignorance," he said."She's basically hiding behind this wall of
ignorance and saying 'I don't know anything.'

"I think it flies in the face of common sense that a person can have 132
pounds of marijuana in her basement, stinking to high heaven, ... (and claim
ignorance of its presence)."

Shirley maintained that the prosecution had insufficient evidence to link
Pina to the marijuana seized.

As she made her closing arguments, Patti removed, one by one, the boxes
DeBack had stacked on the table in front of him.

"Well, this wall is very impressive Mr. DeBack built," Shirley said.
"There's a lot of marijuana, pot, here. There's a lot of plastic here,
there's a lot of stuff here. But what's not here is any evidence of intent.

"The proofs in this case were short, or brief, because this case is lacking
substance."

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

Needle Exchange Plans Gain Ground ('The Boston Globe' Says City Counselors
In Springfield, Massachusetts, Voted 8-0 To Seek A Non-Binding Referendum
On A Needle-Exchange Program)

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 13:23:16 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US MA: Needle Exchange Plans Gain Ground
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: kewright@erols.com (Kendra E. Wright)
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Contact: letters@globe.com
Website: http://www.boston.com/globe/
Pubdate: 28 Aug 1998

NEEDLE EXCHANGE PLANS GAIN GROUND

In Massachusetts, Springfield city counselors voted 8-0 to seek a
non-binding referendum on a needle-exchange program. The council passed a
needle-exchange program one month ago by a vote of 5-4. The referendum
still requires the approval of the state legislature.

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

'Gilligan' Gets Probation For Pot Bust
(Yahoo's United Press International Version)

found at Yahoo daily news:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/human_interest/crime_news/

Friday August 28 12:16 PM EDT

'Gilligan' gets probation for pot bust

PRINCETON, W.Va., Aug. 28 (UPI) - Actor Bob Denver, best known for his title
role in the 1960s comedy ``Gilligan's Island,'' is serving six months of
unsupervised probation (Friday) after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor
charge of marijuana possession. Denver's attorney tells United Press
International the 63-year-old actor avoided a trial by entering the plea on
Aug. 18 after reaching an agreement with the county prosecutor.

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

'Gilligan' Gets Probation For Pot Bust
(A Lengthier United Press International Version
Says That, According To Denver's Attorney, The Sequence Of Events
Surrounding The Search Warrant Served At The Actor's House
Was The Main Reason He Was Able To Secure His Client's Freedom -
Under West Virginia Law, Authorities Erred By Asking For The Warrant
While The Package Was Already In Their Possession)

Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 10:39:19 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US WV: Wire: 'Gilligan' Gets Probation For Pot Bust
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 09:45:43 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapraw@mapinc.org
Subject: #W# US: WV: Wire: 'Gilligan' gets probation for pot bust
Newshawk: tim.meehan@utoronto.ca (Tim Meehan)
Pubdate: Fri, 28 Aug 1998
Source: United Press International

'GILLIGAN' GETS PROBATION FOR POT BUST

PRINCETON, W.Va., Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Actor Bob Denver, best known
for his title role in the 1960s comedy ``Gilligan's Island'' is serving
six months of unsupervised probation after pleading no contest to a
misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. Denver's attorney, Randal
Roahrig, tells United Press International

The 63-year-old actor avoided a trial by entering the plea on Aug. 18
after reaching an agreement with the county prosecutor. Roahrig said:
``After six months the court will dismiss all charges against Mr. Denver.
Six months after that his arrest record will be expunged.'' In June, West
Virginia authorities were tipped off that a package containing marijuana
was to be delivered to Denver's home.

After securing a search warrant, an undercover officer delivered the
package. Shortly thereafter, a drug task force executed the warrant,
finding slightly more than one ounce of marijuana and drug
paraphernalia in Denver's home. Roahrig told UPI the sequence of
events surrounding the search warrant was the main reason he was able
to secure his client's freedom. Roahrig said under West Virginia law
authorities erred by asking for the warrant while the package was
already in their possession.

He said a legal search would have required the parcel to be first spotted
on Denver's property. Denver has not commented since his arrest, but
Roahrig said, ``It certainly appeared that the media exposure was much
greater for Mr. Denver than it would have been for anyone else in a
similar situtation.'' If the case had gone to trial on Sept. 3, Denver could
have faced six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

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

Hidden Cameras Capture Suspected Jury Fix ('The Associated Press'
Says Tiny Cameras Hidden In Fake Briefcases And Document Boxes
Thwarted An Attempt In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, By A Juror
And Two Accomplices Who Allegedly Offered To Deliver A Mistrial
In Return For A $175,000 Bribe From Defendant Thomas Schwab,
Accused Of Laundering $770,000 Through His Demolition Firm)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Hidden cameras capture suspected drug jury fix
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 12:28:42 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Hidden cameras capture suspected jury fix
08/28/98
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Tiny cameras hidden in fake briefcases and document
boxes thwarted an attempt to fix a jury in a money-laundering case, federal
agents said Thursday.

Juror Angela Chiles, 27, and two men are accused of seeking a $175,000 bribe
from Thomas Schwab, who is accused of laundering $770,000 through his
demolition firm.

Mr. Schwab, 43, was approached during a break in his trial Friday by Ray
Hernandez and Ricardo Canword, investigators said. Mr. Hernandez told Mr.
Schwab that he had a cousin on the jury who could deliver a mistrial.

Mr. Schwab's lawyer alerted federal prosecutors. At their direction, Mr.
Schwab met with the two men and agreed to pay them but demanded proof Ms.
Chiles would cooperate, investigators said.

The two men allegedly said that Ms. Chiles would wear a green jacket to
court on Monday and remove it when Mr. Schwab signaled with a glass of
water.

When Ms. Chiles did her part, the hidden cameras caught her on videotape,
investigators said.

Ms. Chiles was arrested Wednesday on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of
justice and bribery. Mr. Canword and Mr. Hernandez, both 24, face the same
charges.

The judge declared a mistrial in Mr. Schwab's case. He still faces a retrial
on the money-laundering charges.

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

Three Charged In Alleged Jury-Tampering Plot (A Slightly Different
'Associated Press' Version In 'The Chicago Tribune')

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 13:23:46 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US FL: 3 Charged In Alleged Jury-tampering Plot
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)
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Contact: tribletter@aol.com
Website: http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
Pubdate: 28 Aug 1998
Author: Associated Press

3 CHARGED IN ALLEGED JURY-TAMPERING PLOT

FT. LAUDERDALE -- Tiny cameras hidden in fake briefcases and document boxes
captured the signal that the fix was in.

First, at the defense table, the defendant took a sip of water and put his
empty glass on the table upside-down. Then, Juror No. 11 took off her green
jacket and folded it neatly over her chair.

That was the signal, federal agents said, that the juror had agreed to take
a bribe to fix the case.

Juror Angela Chiles, 27, and two men face 30 years in prison and $1 million
fines for allegedly seeking a $175,000 bribe in exchange for a hung jury.

Thomas Schwab, 43, who was on trial for allegedly laundering $770,000 in
drug profits through his demolition business, was approached Aug. 21 by Ray
Hernandez and Ricardo Canword during a break in the trial, investigators said.

Hernandez told Schwab he had a cousin on the jury, someone who could
deadlock the jury and deliver a mistrial, investigators said.

Schwab notified his lawyer, who alerted the court and prosecutors. Schwab
then agreed to cooperate with the federal investigation.

"I've never seen anything like this in 27 years on the bench," U.S.
District Judge Norman Roettger said. "What you have here is a man who by
day is defending himself against these very serious charges at trial and by
night he's wearing a wire and working with his prosecutors."

In a meeting Sunday with Hernandez and Canword, Schwab agreed to pay the
men $175,000, but he first wanted proof the men could deliver.

They allegedly agreed that Chiles, a bartender-waitress, would wear a green
jacket to court Monday and remove it when Schwab signaled her with the
glass of water.

When Chiles did her part, cameras hidden in files on the prosecution and
defense tables and in fake briefcases caught her on videotape,
investigators said.

Schwab paid Hernandez and Canword $5,000 Monday night and $20,000 the next
day during meetings at a restaurant, investigators said. After the second
payment, agents arrested the two men.

Chiles was arrested Wednesday on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of
justice and bribery. Canword and Hernandez, both 24, face identical
charges. All were in custody pending a hearing Monday.

The judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in Schwab's money-laundering trial.
He faces a retrial on the charges.

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

Drug Odyssey ('The Chicago Tribune' Profiles Mike Gray,
Screenwriter For 'The China Syndrome' And Author Of The Important New History
Of The War On Some Drug Users, 'Drug Crazy - How We Got Into This Mess
And How We Can Get Out' - Gray Says, 'The Drug Problem We Have Today
Is A Totally Self-Inflicted Wound, And It's A Much Greater Threat
To Our Country's Future Than Nuclear Power Plants')

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 14:20:30 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Drug Odyssey: profile of 'Drug Crazy' author Mike Gray
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: Fri, 28 Aug 1998
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Section: Tempo, p. 1
Contact: tribletter@aol.com
Website: http://chicago.tribune.com
Author: Paul Galloway

DRUG ODYSSEY

Thirty years ago, on a Wednesday afternoon in late August, Mike Gray and
his film crew were shooting a television commercial for Kentucky Fried
Chicken in his studio on Chicago's North Side. It starred the company icon,
Col. Harlan Sanders himself.

It was not just any Wednesday afternoon in August. The Democratic National
Convention was being held in Chicago that week, and the emotion and tumult
engulfing that watershed political event was moving toward what would
become a chaotic and storied crescendo.

"We got a phone call from a friend who said all hell was breaking loose in
Grant Park," Gray said. "We decided we had to be there. The colonel had
taken a fancy to our receptionist, so we asked if he would mind taking her
to get a bite to eat while we took a break. He was delighted to do that, of
course, and we grabbed our camera gear and headed for Grant Park."

Gray and his people filmed throughout the afternoon and into the night,
when Chicago police erupted in their notorious assault on demonstrators
outside the Conrad Hilton Hotel.

"When we came back to our studio at 3 a.m., we were different people," Gray
said. "We had been changed, transformed."

To use a term from those times, they'd been radicalized.

Gray chuckled. "I never saw Col. Sanders again," he said.

Now 63 and a resident of Los Angeles for the past 25 years, Gray was
tracing his odyssey from small-town Indiana native to graduate in
aeronautical engineering from Purdue University to ad-agency copywriter and
owner of a TV production house in Chicago to maker of film documentaries,
Hollywood screenwriter/director and author.

His third book, which was recently released, is "Drug Crazy: How We Got
Into This Mess and How We Can Get Out" (Random House), an engrossing,
unsettling, 198-page look at the country's dubious narcotics policies, past
and present.

"When I met Mike in the early '60s, he was a Goldwater Republican," said
Chicago filmmaker Gordon Quinn, a co-founder of Kartemquin Films, which
produced "Hoop Dreams," the celebrated 1994 documentary. "But his politics
were something that grew out of his experiences. He gets out into the world
and is deeply affected by what he finds there."

One of those things is the country's war on drugs. "The polls show that
something like 75 percent of Americans see the war on drugs as a terrible
failure, and I'm one of them," Gray said. "When you count the federal,
state and local outlays for direct law enforcement, plus the costs of
prisons and courts, we're spending $50 billion a year on suppression of
illegal drugs. And we've not only failed to stop the drug trade to any
significant degree, the situation is getting worse each year."

Harder-Than-Expected Job

Gray set out to solve the problem with a nice, neat, 90-minute documentary.
"My idea was to videotape all the experts on all sides, put it together and
come up with a sensible new approach," he said. "I figured it would take me
six or eight months."

Gray chuckled again. "That was six years ago."

He discovered the story was far more complicated than he had thought, and
he soon inaugurated Plan B, financing his research with a $40,000 book
advance from Random House and an assortment of temporary jobs, one of which
was working for his longtime friend, Hollywood director and former
Chicagoan Andrew Davis, as a second-unit director on Davis' 1993 hit, "The
Fugitive."

"I look at Mike as a Renaissance man," said Davis, who recalls
collaborating with Gray early in their Chicago careers on a dog food
commercial. "He has a wonderful ability to explain technology -- or any
complex subject -- in human terms, so we can see it and understand it. And
he has an amazing instinct for the most important topics of our times. He
showed that with his documentaries and with `China Syndrome' (for which he
wrote the script) and with a book he did on the Apollo mission ("Angle of
Attack," 1992) . . ."

Still, Gray was continually strapped for money, so much so that his success
in staying the course is testimony to his stubborn streak of idealism.

"You might say I'm used to tilting at windmills," he said. "And I look at
everything I'd done as training for this book."

Gray's training began with two searing, 90-minute documentaries that he
co-produced in Chicago in the early 1970s with his friend, Howard Alk, both
underwritten with profits from his TV production company.

The first was "American Revolution II," a 1970 film about the social and
political upheavals of the '60s, which incorporated the footage that Gray
had shot during the '68 convention.

The second was "The Murder of Fred Hampton," released in 1972, an
indictment of the infamous, FBI-directed, predawn 1969 raid on a West Side
apartment in which Chicago Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton and another
Panthers member were killed.

"Both films won awards, and the Hampton film was shown at the Cannes film
festival," Gray said. "A lot of people liked it; Jack Nicholson was one of
our biggest supporters."

The Importance Of Color

"I think Mike's greatest talent is as a storyteller, which makes his work
so important," said producer Quinn. Yet Gray was unable to persuade
Hollywood studios to distribute either film to theaters.

"It was 10 years before the films were finally shown on television, well
after the issues they were about had been put to bed," Gray said. "But I
learned something. When I talked to the people in Hollywood about
distributing the Hampton film, all anybody wanted to know was `Who's this
guy Hampton?' and `Why did you shoot it in black-and-white?'

"I'd discovered the soft underbelly of Western civilization! The studios
didn't care about content. They didn't care if the film was a record of
state murder. What they cared about was shooting movies in color so they'd
sell more tickets. I realized there was an opening there for someone who
wanted to tell stories that were important."

Toward that goal, Gray moved to Hollywood in 1973, worked in the movie and
TV business and began writing the screenplay that would be made into "The
China Syndrome," which was about the potential hazards of nuclear power
plants.

The movie starred Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas and Jane Fonda, and 12 days
after its release in 1979, the same kind of "meltdown" emergency at the
center of Gray's script occurred at a nuclear power plant at Three Mile
Island, Pa.

"I meant `China Syndrome' to educate people about what I'd found by reading
books and interviewing scientists, which was that nuclear power could be
dangerous and that our heavy reliance on nuclear plants hadn't been clearly
thought through," Gray said.

In his view, the same can be said for our drug policy.

"Before I started looking into this, I was under the impression there was
some logical reason for our drug laws," he said. "I assumed that they were
originally a response to a terrible wave of addiction. In fact, when the
first federal anti-narcotics law was passed in 1914, drug use was
declining."

The effect of that initial law would be to shift responsibility for
addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroin from doctors to police,
transforming what had been addressed as a medical issue into a crime.

"The drug problem we have today is a totally self-inflicted wound, and it's
a much greater threat to our country's future than nuclear power plants,"
Gray said.

His assessment is that our drug policy was born of scientific ignorance,
naivete and political ambitions of a few misguided fanatics, but in recent
years, he blames political cynicism and cowardice for blocking efforts to
change present policies -- or even to seriously consider substantial
changes.

Gray sees our drug policy's parallels to Prohibition as its inherent flaw.
"The country actually began enacting alcohol and drug prohibition laws
about the same time," he said. "Up until then, if you passed a law, people
obeyed it. The supporters of Prohibition thought, `We'll simply pass this
law, and the world will be a much better place.'

"When Prohibition took effect nationwide in 1920, people were stupefied by
what happened. The temperance movement had been enormously successful, but
once its moral suasion was replaced with police power, we were rewarded
with an instant black market, the birth of organized crime, widespread
public disrespect for law, rampant corruption of police and courts and
violence on a scale that was unimagined."

When people finally became sufficiently fed up, Prohibition was repealed.
"Drug prohibition should have ended at the same time, for the same reason,
but there simply weren't enough drug users to form a constituency," Gray
said. "Instead, they became convenient scapegoats for any passing
officeseeker who needed to prove he was tough on crime."

The damage has been severe.

"Our policy of prohibition has created a drug trade of incredible wealth,"
he said. "The United Nations estimates that the drug lords take in $400
billion a year. That kind of money has corrupted the governments of
Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Mexico, not to mention the corruption it has
caused in police departments in this country.

"The reality on the street is a destructive relationship between police and
their drug informants. It's to an informant's advantage to turn in his
competitors, and it's to the police's advantage to have a list of drug
dealers to bust. So one dealer becomes dominant, and his enforcers are the
police."

`Medicalization' Of Drugs

Gray advocates several steps toward an effective policy. "I'm for
regulation and taxation," he said. "I think `legalization' has become a
useless term because it means so many different things, but to those of us
who want reform, it means drugs by prescription only, with medical
supervision. So the term `medicalization' is closer to the mark."

One step is to remove marijuana from the list of hard drugs. "The number of
drug users that the federal government (cites) most is 13 million. If you
take marijuana users out of the equation, you're only talking about 3
million serious drug users, and how do you justify $50 billion a year to
get 3 million people to behave themselves?"

Gray noted a hopeful development in the support of drug reform that mirrors
the move toward Prohibition repeal.

"Prohibition was repealed after prominent business and social leaders began
to speak out and organize opposition," he said. "The same sort of thing is
happening now."

On June 8, an open letter to United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan
appeared in The New York Times under a headline that read: "We believe the
global war on drugs is now causing more harm than drug abuse itself."

The letter, which was sponsored by the Lindesmith Center, a nonprofit drug
policy research institute, criticized drug policies that emphasized
"criminalization and punishment" and was signed by 500 prominent business
executives, scientists, religious leaders, intellectuals, federal judges,
police chiefs and government officials from 39 countries, liberals and
conservatives alike.

The American signees included former Secretary of State George Shultz;
retired CBS-TV anchor Walter Cronkite; Milton Friedman, a Nobel laureate in
economics; Ira Glasser, executive director of the American Civil Liberties
Union; Patrick Murphy, former New York City police commissioner;
businessman Laurance Rockefeller; and the author of "Drug Crazy."

"When my wife saw my name," Gray confided, "she said, `499 world leaders
and one low-brow.' "

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

Are Muscle Enhancers Fair Game? ('Seattle Times' Sports Columnist
Elliott Almond Discusses The Quandry Arising From Inconsistent Standards
Facing Mark McGwire, The St. Louis Cardinal, And Randy Barnes,
An Olympic Champion Shot-Putter, Who Have Both Used The Same Substance,
Androstenedione, Which The Body Converts Into The Male Sex Hormone,
Testosterone - While McGwire Is Pursuing Baseball's Home-Run Record,
Barnes Faces Banishment For Life)

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 20:00:15 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Are Muscle Enhancers Fair Game?
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: John Smith
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Contact: opinion@seatimes.com
Website: http://www.seattletimes.com/
Pubdate: 28 August, 1998
Author: Elliott Almond, Seattle Times staff reporter

ARE MUSCLE ENHANCERS FAIR GAME?

While one chases immortality in packed American stadiums, the other
throws stones in Switzerland.

Mark McGwire, the St. Louis Cardinal who is pursuing baseball's
home-run record, and Randy Barnes, an Olympic champion shot-putter,
apparently have used the same substance to help their athletic
performance. But while McGwire goes for the glory, Barnes is reduced
to a Swiss stone-throwing contest as he faces a possible lifetime ban
from international track-and-field competition.

Welcome to the world of androstenedione.

"Andro," as it's known by those who use it, is a hormone found in
animals, plants such as pine pollen, and the adrenal glands and gonads
of humans. It is legal if you are McGwire or any Major League
Baseball, National Basketball Association or National Hockey League
player. It is illegal if you are Barnes or any Olympian, collegiate
athlete or National Football League player.

Such is the quandary facing drug experts, sports officials and
athletes as they debate the merits of androstenedione (pronounced
andro-STEEN-die-own), the latest fad in the multimillion-dollar
sports-nutrition business.

Androstenedione is controversial because the body converts it into the
male sex hormone testosterone through enzymes in the liver. Elevated
testosterone levels enable athletes to train longer and potentially
build lean muscle mass. It also can increase sexual arousal and function.

Although the substance has been produced synthetically since the
1930s, no one has produced solid scientific data on its safety.

Some officials say they have enough evidence to restrict its use. The
International Olympic Committee, National Collegiate Athletic
Association and NFL ban androstenedione because their medical
experts consider the substance to be an anabolic steroid.

An anabolic steroid is a derivative of testosterone and makes the
bodies of men and women more masculine. It also comes with potential
side effects such as liver damage, heart disease, cancer and
aggressive behavior.

Don Catlin, director of the Olympic-accredited UCLA drug-testing
laboratory, said the molecular structure of androstenedione so closely
resembles testosterone that it is difficult to tell them apart.

"It's powerful," Catlin said. "Not as powerful as testosterone, but
that's a matter of dose."

But Scott Connelly, founder and chairman of Met-Rx, a California
sports-nutrition company that markets androstenedione, counters: "They
are a different universe of activity, effect and toxicity" from
anabolic steroids.

On this much, experts agree: Adolescents and children should not
ingest the agent because little is known about its effect on
teenagers' delicate hormonal balance.

Although it cannot be purchased in Canada without a permit and is
restricted in some European countries, the substance is legally sold
in the United States as a dietary supplement. It costs about $50 for
100 tablets of 100 milligrams.

GNC, a national chain of nutrition outlets, no longer sells the
product because of the scarcity of data about its safety, a
spokeswoman said.

But after last Friday's disclosure that McGwire has used
androstenedione for more than a year, sales increased dramatically at
Seattle stores that sell it.

As long as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies the
substance as a food supplement, it will continue to be sold without
restriction. FDA officials say they have no reason to consider
changing the status because no problems with it have been reported to
them.

That doesn't placate Terry Todd, University of Texas kinesiology
professor and one-time champion weight-lifter: "It is a bit of a
stretch to consider an anabolic steroid as a food substance.
Androstenedione really fits in the camp of anabolic steroids: It
stimulates the body to produce more testosterone."

Because of the growing controversy, baseball leaders this week called
for scrutiny of the supplement. But some question the sport's sincerity.

Although baseball bans anabolic steroids, it does not rigorously test
for the drug as other sports do. Chuck Yesalis, a Penn State
University professor and co-author of the book "The Steroids Game,"
said baseball might be forced to change its testing regimen.

"The only reason elite sports drug-test is public relations," he said.
"They are concerned about their business and image. This could drive
them to it."

Baseball has generally been spared drug scandals involving
performance-enhancing agents.

"Baseball doesn't have this history of steroid use," said a National
League team administrator who asked not to be identified. "The
perception is it is not a problem. Maybe it is a bigger issue than we
think, and it probably is."

Yesalis thinks so: "We're focusing on a leaf where there is a forest
fire," he said. "Three to eight guys on a roster are taking anabolic
steroids. Baseball doesn't even go through the motions of drug
testing. They're all flustered over androstenedione when HGH is out
there."

HGH, or human-growth hormone, promotes growth for children who suffer
from dwarfism. It also is a long-time favorite of elite lifters,
football players and other power athletes, and is legal only by
prescription.

The controversy over "andro" comes in a summer of drug scandals. The
Tour de France was tarnished when French police arrested members of
the world's best cycling team for possessing an illegal drug that
produces oxygen-rich red blood cells.

The use of supplements has long played a role in athletics,
particularly after drug-testing was introduced at the 1972 Olympics in
Munich, Germany. Athletes strive to find something to give them an
edge - even a psychological one - without being sanctioned.

At this summer's World Cup soccer championship, U.S. captain Thomas
Dooley considered injecting calves' blood into his muscles, a practice
he credited with having an almost miraculous healing effect on a
variety of muscular injuries.

McGwire, who is seven home runs away from Roger Maris' 37-year-old
record of 61, says androstenedione helps keep him injury-free. He also
acknowledges using creatine, an amino acid that promotes muscle mass
and is reportedly being taken by thousands of high-school, college and
professional athletes.

Seattle Mariner Edgar Martinez is included in that group. "I can feel
the strength from creatine, but it makes me feel bloated," he said.

Mariner trainer Rick Griffin said he doesn't know of any Seattle
players using androstenedione. M's first baseman David Segui said he
doesn't use it but has tried just about everything else found in
nutrition stores. "None of it works," he concluded.

Athletes such as Segui might try a variety of legally sold products
for a variety of reasons, including chromium picolinate, ephedra,
guarana, willow bark, bladderwrack, gotu kola, Siberian ginseng,
astragalus, licorice root, ginger root, bee pollen, rehmannia root,
reishi mushroom ma-huang, cola nut, ginkgo biloba, saw palmetto, cola
nut extract, beet and boron proteinate.

Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs, who is chasing McGwire with 52 home
runs, said he doesn't use androstenedione or other testosterone
boosters. But Sosa does take creatine after games and ginseng before
he plays. The M's Ken Griffey Jr., the American League home-run leader
at 44, also said he doesn't use andro.

Still, McGwire insists many ballplayers do use it.

"In his sport, it is legal - end of question," said McGwire's agent,
Bob Cohen. "Let's play baseball."

Baseball leaders would like nothing better. But the growing debate has
forced officials in and out of the sport to focus on the supplement.

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency has decided to re-examine
androstenedione to determine if it should be classified as a Schedule
3 drug with anabolic steroids. Schedule 3 drugs are illegal to possess
without prescription.

A DEA official who asked not to be identified said the agency is
struggling with the same issues as the sports-medicine community.

"We've not been able to find any credible scientific evidence," the
agent said. "We have all kinds of anecdotal reports but haven't found
anything to support" the definition of an anabolic steroid.

While officials await more information, other, more efficient
supplements are being developed all the time, said Victor Uralets, a
Russian drug expert.

If so, the debate is likely to continue long after McGwire's home-run
pursuit ends.

Seattle Times staff reporter Bob Finnigan contributed to this
report.

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

Baseball Isn't Just About Playing By The Rules ('New York Times' Columnist
Bob Herbert Writes That Androstenedione Is Legal In The United States,
And Baseball Star Mark McGwire Has A Right To Use It To Enhance
His Performance - But Whether It Is A Good Idea To Do So Is Another Matter)

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 15:35:09 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Baseball Isn't Just About Playing By the Rules
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Peter Webster
Source: International Herald-Tribune
Contact: iht@iht.com
Website: http://www.iht.com/
Pubdate: Fri, 28 Aug 1998
Author: Bob Herbert, NY Times Service

BASEBALL ISN'T JUST ABOUT PLAYING BY THE RULES

NEW YORK-- Androstenedione is legal in the United States, and Mark McGwire,
a remarkably muscular man who hits home runs for a living, has a right to
use it. Whether it is a good idea to use it is another matter.

Mr. McGwire, a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, has had a
glorious summer and is now closing in on the single-season home run marks
of Babe Ruth and Roger Maris. Kids idolize him. Fans have been filling
ballparks from coast to coast to watch him swing his mighty bat. When he
comes to town, it is not enough to see the ball game. You have to show up
early enough to catch batting practice, to watch his screaming line drives
and long, towering flies.

Even when Mr. McGwire is on the road he gets standing ovations. After a
McGwire home run on Sunday at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium, the
delirious Pittsburgh fans demanded a curtain call, an extremely rare honor
for a visiting player.

Mr. McGwire, somewhat embarrassed, obliged. He stepped from the dugout and
tipped his cap. The fans went wild. Later Mr. McGwire would say, "I wish
every baseball player could feel what I'm feeling now."

Androstenedione is a controversial substance, currently classified as a
dietary supplement, that is taken in pill or capsule form. It is converted
by the body into testosterone. Athletes take it because they believe that
this temporary testosterone boost can help build muscle and increase
strength and endurance.

Mr. McGwire, who in past years has lost substantial playing time to
injuries, recently acknowledged that he uses androstenedione, He said it
increased the efficiency of his weightroom workouts.

This acknowledgment has cast a shadow over his dream season.

While it can be purchased over the counter and its use has not been
prohibited by Major League Baseball (although the National League is now,
belatedly, taking another look), androstenedione has been banned by the
National Football League, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and
the International Olympic Committee. Randy Barnes, the Olympic shot put
champion, is facing a lifetime ban because he tested positive for
androstenedione in April.

So what gives? Is Mark McGwire in better shape to hit home runs because he
is taking a pill that promotes the development of lean muscle mass? A pill
that can make a strong man even stronger?

Nobody knows. The Cardinals and Mr. McGwire issued a joint statement this
week that said androstenedione "has no proven anabolic steroid effect nor
significant side effects."

Charles Yesalis, professor at Penn State University and author of the book
"The Steroids Game," said: "The whole idea is to convince people that you
are not really taking a drug, that this is not cheating, and most certainly
that you are not taking steroids.

"Well, of course, this is a steroid. What is debatable is whether this is
an anabolic steroid. Does it have anabolic qualities - tissue-building
qualities?"

Gary Wadler, professor of clinical medicine at the New York University
School of Medicine and the lead author of the influential textbook "Drugs
and the Athlete," said:

"I don't think anybody particularly knows whether androstenedione itself
has anabolic qualities. But the substance that androstenedione is converted
into unequivocally has anabolic properties. It's the father of all anabolic
steroids: testosterone. So if, in fact, depending on the dose---a critical
issue---if you can raise the amount of testosterone in your blood by taking
enough of this stuff, then it's anabolic, provided you lift the weights and
do all the other stuff."

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is looking at androstenedione, but
federal officials have not determined whether it should be regulated and
controlled as anabolic steroids are. Too little is known about it,
officials said, including its long-term effects.

So Mark McGwire is operating safely within the boundaries of the law and
the rules of his sport. But there are other considerations.

Each new home run gives the nation a thrill. As Mr. McGwire draws closer to
Babe Ruth's 60 and Roger Maris's 61, each at-bat will likely be televised
live to the nation. A lot of young people will be looking on, admiring
their hero, trying to follow his example, trying their best to be like him.

The New York Times.

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

Women Have Access To Potent Love Drug - Testosterone Is Female Viagra,
Doctors Say (Knight-Ridder Tribune News Interviews Several Women Physicians
Who Suggest That Women Who Are Envious Of The Effects Of Viagra
On Men's Sexual Drive Could And Should Obtain The Same Effect
From Testosterone, Which Is Readily Available At Pharmacies)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Women's potent love drug
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 20:44:30 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

8:55 PM 8/28/1998

Women have access to potent love drug
Testosterone is female Viagra, doctors say

By USHA LEE McFARLING

Knight-Ridder Tribune News

WASHINGTON -- The phenomenal success of Viagra for men has sparked some
sexual envy among women. Many say their sex life isn't what it used to be
and they want help, too.

Some are even experimenting with Viagra, though the drug isn't approved for
use by women. While the little blue pills may spectacularly enhance
erections, they do little to remedy the lack of desire that is women's chief
sexual complaint.

But there's no need for hand-me-down drugs, experts say. Women already have
a powerful tool to fuel sexual desire, and it's been on pharmacy shelves for
years. The potent elixir? Testosterone.

Testosterone has a brawny reputation as a steroid that gives men hairy
chests, deep voices and rippling muscles. But it's a woman's hormone, too.
Testosterone flows from ovaries, adrenal glands and placentas to build bones
and muscle and, not so incidentally, fire up sex drive.

Before menopause, women have from one-tenth to one-twentieth the
testosterone of men -- enough to support a healthy libido. But testosterone
levels ebb as women age, and experts say that decline may be responsible for
the evaporating sexual desire, low energy and darkening mood reported by
many menopausal women.

"Women start to feel poorly," says Dr. Gloria Bachmann, a professor of
obstetrics and gynecology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "They
lose their sex drive, and feel depressed, anxious and irritable."

Many menopausal women take estrogen to help with some of these problems. A
better answer for some, many physicians now say, is taking testosterone as
well.

"Testosterone can cause a woman to re-experience the sexual desire she
lost," said Barbara Sherwin, a professor of psychology at McGill University
in Montreal, who conducted landmark studies showing that adding testosterone
increases sexual fantasies and desires.

Other recent research shows women who are taking testosterone are "more
composed, elated and energetic" than those who aren't. It also enhances math
skills and memory.

If testosterone makes women smart, happy, strong and sexy, why isn't it
selling like Viagra?

Well, for one thing, there's the hair-on-the-chest factor. Lots of women
worry about using a drug so powerfully associated with masculinity. It's
also difficult to find doctors who have mastered the complexities of
prescribing it. But those who do prescribe it say low doses won't put hair
anywhere.

Ten years ago, Dr. Susan Rako, a Boston-area psychiatrist, noticed that at
48 she wasn't enjoying sex as much and her energy levels had dropped.
Estrogen, a hormone commonly taken to reduce menopausal symptoms, didn't
help.

She researched the medical archives, and learned about testosterone. For
her, it worked a miracle.

Rako, the author of The Hormone of Desire, has launched something of a
personal crusade to educate other physicians and women about the health
benefits of testosterone.

"I'm 58, and I feel better than I did 10 years ago," Rako said.

It's not just about sex. Testosterone can help reverse osteoporosis. "It not
only protects against bone loss, it builds bones," said Dr. Michael
Rosenberg, president of Health Decisions, a North Carolina center that
studies reproductive health.

Despite the clear benefits, a few hundred thousand of nearly 40 million
post-menopausal women take testosterone/estrogen tablets. Others are using
creams or injections.

"I think generally it's underused," said Rosenberg.

Many gynecologists have taken a wait-and-see attitude because the field is
new and testosterone is challenging to prescribe. Its levels vary widely
among women, and the same amount of the hormone has different effects on
different women. Each patient must be checked after the initial
prescription, so the dose can be adjusted.

"The one-size-fits-all mentality really needs to go by the wayside," said
Dr. James Simon, a George Washington University reproductive endocrinologist
who has studied the effects of testosterone on women.

Because it appears to be safe in low doses and may offer large benefits,
"you don't lose anything in a short-term trial," said Dr. Paul Carpenter, an
endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic.

But a minority of critics worry that the powerful hormone may cause problems
over time. For instance, it lowers good cholesterol levels.

"It's in its infancy," said Peter Casson, an assistant professor of
obstetrics and gynecology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who
has written articles recommending testosterone be used judiciously.

And it's important to remember that even this potent hormone is not a
cure-all for sexual woes.

"A 60-year-old is not going to have an orgasm like a 19-year-old," said
Simon.

A woman's sexual problems may not be hormonal at all. They may be linked to
depression or a troubled relationship.

"A lot of patients don't need a doctor giving them testosterone, they need a
good sex therapist," said Baylor's Casson. "Maybe the husband has to be
kicked in the butt."

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

Mounties Seize 400 Pot Plants ('The Kamloops Daily News'
Says The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Kicked Off The Fall Marijuana Harvest
Wednesday With The Seizure Of More Than 400 Plants Spotted By Air
And Cut From Three Different Plots In The Momish Valley At The North End
Of Adams Lake)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Mounties seize 400 pot plants
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 07:14:55 -0700
Lines: 44
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Kamloops Daily News (Canada)
Website: http://www.southam.com/kamloopsdailynews/
Contact: kamnews@wkpowerlink.com
Pubdate: Friday, August 28, 1998
Author: ROBERT KOOPMANS, Daily News Staff Reporter

Mounties seize 400 pot plants

RCMP kicked off the fall marijuana harvest Wednesday with the seizure
of more than 400 plants.

Sgt. Dennis Ryan, head of the RCMP's southeast district drug section,
said the marijuana plants were spotted by air and cut from three
different plots in the Momish Valley at the north end of Adams Lake.

The outdoor grows were located in rugged country accessible only by
boat. Officers cut down and took away all the marijuana found. The
plants were about three weeks from harvest. No arrests were made. All
the marijuana seized was destroyed, Ryan said.

The drug section is planning numerous other flights this fall in a
variety of remote back-country areas, Ryan said. Police usually search
for outdoor grows in the late summer and early fall as the plants are
near maturity and easier to spot from the air.

"We plan to get out there lots more this fall. The more we take out of
production, the less harm it can do," Ryan said.

Each adult marijuana plant can produce about $1,000 of dope.

This is also the time of year that hikers, hunters or other outdoor
enthusiasts encounter illegal crops in the woods. Ryan said any
marijuana found should be left alone and reported to RCMP.

It's not uncommon for growers to post armed guards in their crops, he
said -- mostly a way to guard against theft from other growers.

Most times, the sentries won't hassle people, but there has been the
odd case where forestry workers or hikers have been told to get out of
an area by a grower with a gun.

"It's not uncommon to have people sitting in these plots guarding
them," said. "There is some risk to the public."

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

Drug Firm Accused Of Threatening Doctors ('The London Free Press' In Ontario
Says About 140 Doctors Have Signed A Petition Demanding An Independent,
External Inquiry Into Allegations That The Drug Firm Apotex Inc.
Threatened To Sue Researcher Dr. Nancy Olivieri
At The Hospital For Sick Children When She Wanted To Tell Patients
About The Potential Hazards Of An Experimental Drug, Deferiprone,
Used As A Treatment For Thalassemia, A Deadly Blood Disorder)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Drug firm accused of threatening doctors
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 07:27:31 -0700
Lines: 73

Source: London Free Press
Contact: letters@lfpress.com
Friday, August 28, 1998

Drug firm accused of threatening doctors with trhe

Sick Kids doctors demand inquiry into dispute over research of experimental
drug

By SHARON LEM, Sun Media Newspapers

TORONTO -- Several of Canada's top doctors at The Hospital for Sick
Children say they've been threatened and intimidated for supporting a
colleague in a dispute with a drug company.

And about 140 doctors have signed a petition demanding an independent,
external inquiry into allegations drug firm Apotex Inc. threatened to
sue researcher Dr. Nancy Olivieri when she wanted to tell patients of
potential hazards with an experimental product.

"We believe a full, independent inquiry is needed to find out the
answers," Dr. Brenda Gallie, an ophthalmologist and leading
retinoplastoma specialist, said yesterday.

"I have been threatened because of my position in support of Dr.
Olivieri."

Last week, the hospital said an outside team of experts will examine
the issue of research funded by drug companies, but won't investigate
the specific incident involving Olivieri.

Doctors and researchers called that move "inadequate." To be
effective, the review must include the dispute, they said.

"Our objectives have not been heard," Gallie said at a news conference
yesterday.

"They've only become stronger."

Olivieri, a world-renowned hematologist at Sick Kids, tested the
experimental drug deferiprone as a treatment for thalassemia, a deadly
blood disorder, in 1995, but later had concerns the drug might cause
liver scarring.

Olivieri said Apotex threatened to sue her if she went public with her
concerns.

Olivieri said she believed Sick Kids would support her but it didn't.
She said the hospital has twice tried to fire her.

Olivieri said Apotex fired her as principal investigator and the
trials were halted. They are now going on in Italy.

Dr. Peter Durie, head of the cystic fibrosis research group at Sick
Kids, said he has also been threatened.

The hospital said yesterday an investigation into the allegations with
Apotex would be ineffective since many policies have changed since
1996.

"We believe we've come a long way at solving any problems that might
have arisen," said spokesperson Cyndy DeGiusti.

And the review of current policies would ensure they are adequate and
effective, she said.

But Olivieri said the hospital's stand "will be viewed by many
individuals, patients and parents, scientists and physicians and
nurses both in the national and international community as a coverup."

Apotex spokespeople didn't return calls from Sun Media Newspapers
yesterday.

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

'Fatso' May Be Big Break Against Cali Drug Bosses (An 'Associated Press'
Article In 'The Seattle Times' Says US Prohibition Agents Hope To Use
The Arrest In Bogota, Colombia, Last Week Of Fernando Jose Flores,
A Venezuelan Nicknamed 'Fatso,' To Extradite Miguel And Gilberto
Rodriguez Orejuela, The Cali Cartel Chiefs Imprisoned By Colombia
Since 1995 - Colombia's 1991 Constitution Prohibited The Extradition
Of Cartel Bosses, But Congress Lifted That Ban Late Last Year For Crimes
Committed After December 1997)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: `Fatso' may be big break against Cali drug bosses
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 12:30:41 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Copyright (c) 1998 The Seattle Times Company

Posted at 06:44 a.m. PDT; Friday, August 28, 1998
`Fatso' may be big break against Cali drug bosses

by Jared Kotler
The Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia - After years of failed efforts to extradite the leaders of
one of history's most powerful drug mafias to the United States for trial,
U.S. prosecutors may have finally gotten the break they needed.

The arrest in Bogota last week of a Venezuelan nicknamed "Fatso" could be a
big problem for Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, the Cali cartel
chiefs captured in 1995.

If, as expected, he is extradited or expelled to the United States, the
alleged longtime cartel associate could provide the testimony needed to get
the Rodriguez brothers into a U.S. courtroom, where they would face life
terms.

Extraditions formerly forbidden

U.S. authorities consider Colombia's dismantling of the Cali cartel one of
the greatest strikes ever against organized crime. But extraditing cartel
bosses was forbidden by Colombia's 1991 constitution.

Congress lifted that ban late last year, but in an apparent bow to
traffickers' threats and payoffs, it allowed extradition only for crimes
committed after December 1997.

The measure virtually guaranteed that the Rodriguez brothers would remain in
Colombia, provided they didn't violate U.S. laws again. Now it appears they
may have.

During the past three months, police say, 308-pound Fernando Jose Flores
visited the Rodriguez brothers 17 times at La Picota prison. What the men
discussed, if police indeed know, has not been made public.

But the mere fact that they had contacts with the 37-year-old Venezuelan,
who was carrying false documents when arrested, has raised intense
speculation that the Cali kingpins have continued to traffic in cocaine from
prison, a longtime contention of U.S. officials.

The arrest apparently put the Rodriguez brothers on edge. In a letter sent
to Semana magazine, which reported that Flores owed the two money, the
brothers admitted to the Venezuelan's visits but said he was just a friend.

If Flores was trafficking in drugs at the time "it was on his own behalf and
without any conniving by us," the brothers wrote, insisting they had put
their "sordid past behind."

Brothers already doing time

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents who tracked Flores and asked
Colombian police to arrest him refused to discuss the case. But other U.S.
officials said they would seek his extradition.

The Americans do not want Flores expelled to Venezuela, because that country
does not extradite its own citizens for trial abroad.

Flores is under U.S. indictment for allegedly helping the Cali cartel ship
nearly eight tons of cocaine to Florida in 1991, hiding it in concrete posts
and moving it through a Venezuelan front company.

If Flores' capture does eventually lead to extradition for the Rodriguez
brothers, the process is bound to be lengthy.

The first step for prosecutors is to get Flores to the United States - where
he faces life in prison if convicted - and see if he accepts a plea bargain
and implicates his associates.

Colombian drug cartels have a long history of murdering turncoats - or their
families - and the Venezuelan is being held under heavy guard at a Bogota
police station.

Under Colombian law, the Rodriguez brothers could only be sent to the United
States after they finish serving 22- and 10-year Colombian sentences. With
good behavior, both men could be free much sooner.

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

The Allies Of Samper Eye Asylum ('The New York Times' Says A Colombian Court
Is Opening An Investigation Into A 1996 Decision By Congress To Clear
The President At The Time, Ernesto Samper, Of Criminal Charges, So A Group
That Championed Samper In Congress Is Trying To Obtain Asylum For Him
In Europe)

Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1998 11:20:21 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: The Allies Of Samper Eye Asylum
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Paul Wolf (paulwolf@icdc.com)
Source: The New York Times
Contact: letters@nytimes.com
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Pubdate: 28 Aug 1998
Author: Diana Jean Schemo

THE ALLIES OF SAMPER EYE ASYLUM

BOGOTA -- As a court investigation opens into a 1996 decision by Congress
to clear the President at the time, Ernesto Samper, of criminal charges, a
group that championed him in Congress is trying to obtain asylum in Europe.

In meetings over several weeks, 17 senators and deputies, led by Martha
Catalina Daniels, mapped a plan to request asylum in Germany, Britain,
France and Italy on the ground of political persecution. None of the
countries have extradition treaties with Colombia.

Ms. Daniels left for Germany with her two youngest children last week after
reportedly bidding farewell to her husband, Hernando Rodriguez, in a room
at a police training center that has been turned into a jail for public
officials gone wrong.

Rodriguez landed in jail after stealing $10 million when he was in charge
of privatizing Colpuertos, a public riverport administration.

On her way out, the newspaper El Tiempo reported, Ms. Daniels gave farewell
hugs to jailed friends: former Congressman Rodrigo Garavito and David
Turbay and Rodolfo Gonzalez, two of six former Colombian comptrollers who
have landed in prison.

Samper's supporters had been more accustomed to diplomatic postings for
family and friends, control over patronage jobs and Government largesse in
their districts. Their troubles began when the court made its decision days
after Andres Pastrana won the presidency on June 21; he took office on Aug.
21. It was Pastrana who had made public taped conversations of Samper's
1994 campaign soliciting contributions from drug chiefs in exchange for
promises of lenient treatment.

Two years after a large majority of Congress voted to clear Samper of
charges that Cali drug dealers had bankrolled his election, the Supreme
Court said it would determine whether deputies had ignored "overwhelming
evidence" of his guilt, and whether any of them profited from the decision.
If found guilty, their sentences could range from six months to eight years.

Under Samper, the public budget and patronage machine was openly used to
dole out favors to figures who could keep him in office, along with their
family and friends. Heyne Mogollon, a deputy whose Committee of Accusations
decided against allowing all the evidence against the President to go
before the full Congress, found that a new road had been built clear to his
home in Cordoba.

Members of Congress have been meeting to plan a counterattack. Senator
Carlos Alonso Lucio, a former deputy who has publicly supported measures to
benefit drug traffickers in Congress, was designated to pitch the group's
case before Amnesty International and the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights, El Tiempo said.

In a phone interview Thursday, Senator Alonso said he had not yet
determined whether to seek refuge in Europe, but would most likely decide
as he saw the course of the investigation. "It's a possible answer," he said.

Enrique Parejo, a former Justice Minister who brought one of several public
complaints that prompted the court's investigation, confessed that he was
surprised at the decision to take up the case after such a long period and
at the idea of Samper's supporters seeking asylum.

"It's ridiculous," said the former minister, who survived an assassination
attempt by Medellin drug dealers in the late 1980's. "They're doing the
same thing they did under Samper: using the laws to help themselves and
erode the image of Colombia."

Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company

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

Crime Takes A Tumble (An Editorial In 'The Irish Times'
Discusses The Latest Figures Indicating A Further 10 Per Cent Decline
In The Rate Of Reported Crime In Ireland)

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1998 18:37:15 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Ireland: OPED: Crime Takes A Tumble
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Martin Cooke (mjc1947@cyberclub.iol.ie)
Pubdate: Friday, August 28, 1998
Source: Irish Times (Ireland)
Contact: lettersed@irish-times.ie

CRIME TAKES A TUMBLE

The latest figures which indicate a further 10 per cent decline in the rate
of reported crime, suggest that we may have reached a turning-point. The
latest steep decline confirms a trend evident over the past three years.
There are good grounds for optimism that we do not have to consider an
annual increase in recorded levels of crime and violence as inevitable. This
is not to suggest that some kind of panacea has been found. By its nature,
crime is random and unpredictable. And a drop in gross figures may tend to
mask or divert attention from serious crimes. The Garda must be concerned
over the unsolved disappearances of so many women and the failure to make
arrests in a number of murder inquiries. But it seems that the declining
levels of reported crime are already having a beneficial effect on the
streets, in business, and in people's homes. The fear of crime which
appeared to grip parts of the major cities and isolated rural areas for much
of the past decade, has receded. For the moment, there appears to be less
concern about crime on the streets - and on the airwaves. The Minister for
Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, and his predecessor, Mrs Nora Owen - who established
the Criminal Assets Bureau - are both entitled to some credit. The vigour
with which the Garda authorities approached Operation D=F3chas, the
anti-drugs campaign, with some 17,000 arrests and over 7,000 people charged,
also deserves recognition.

The drugs crisis has not disappeared. Heroin still holds large swathes of
working-class Dublin in its grip. For many young people, the use of
so-called recreational drugs, like ecstasy, has now become an integral part
of a night out, as a report in today's editions of this newspaper makes
clear. But it is also the case that the Garda and the Criminal Assets Bureau
have largely succeeded in breaking up the major drugs gangs and tackling the
supposed 'godfathers' who were allowed to cock a snook at the criminal
justice system.

The lack of detailed research and information on crime patterns makes it
difficult to explain the fall-off in the statistics. Undoubtedly, the strong
growth in the economy has played a part by generating employment
opportunities. Stronger action by the gardai and the courts, the firm
response of individual communities and more favourable demographics - there
are fewer males aged 18-25 in the population - may have also contributed to
the fall-off in the crime statistics.

The continued buoyancy in the public finances now presents an opportunity to
make serious inroads into the causes of crime. Greater investment in
education and child-care facilities in underprivileged communities must now
be given the priority it deserves. The Government might also support plans -
like those mooted by Dublin Corporation this week - to redevelop some of the
worst enclaves of social deprivation in the State. In making the case for a
£100 million allocation, the city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, put it
starkly; "These areas have been stubbornly excluded from the boom. If we
can't do something about them now, what hope have we got when the inevitable
downturn comes around?"

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

Ban On British Magazine Urged Over Drugs Article
(According To 'The Irish Times,' The Irish Director Of European Cities
Against Drugs, Mr Con O'Leary Of Cork, Has Urged The Government To Ban
A 'Sky' Magazine Edition That Gives Details On Drugs In 20 Countries,
Caiming It Makes A Mockery Of The Government's £30 Million
Drugs-Awareness Programme)

Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1998 18:35:25 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Ireland: Ban On British Magazine
Urged Over Drugs Article
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Martin Cooke 
Pubdate: Friday, August 28, 1998
Source: Irish Times (Ireland)
Contact: lettersed@irish-times.ie

BAN ON BRITISH MAGAZINE URGED OVER DRUGS ARTICLE

The Government has been urged to ban an edition of a British magazine which
gives details on drugs in 20 countries, amid claims it makes a mockery of
the Government's £30 million drugs-awareness programme.

SKY magazine offers readers a guide to drugs across three continents,
outlining "the house speciality" in each country as well as explaining the
local slang for drugs such as cannabis, acid and ecstasy.

The Irish Director of the European Cities Against Drugs, Cork-based
councillor, Mr Con O'Leary, said allowing the magazine to remain on sale
here made a mockery of the Government's drugs-awareness programme for
teenagers.

"The Government is spending £30 million on a drugs-awareness programme for
kids through the Drugs Task Force and here this magazine is telling our kids
how to get drugs on their holidays - it makes a laughing stock of our drugs
programme," he said.

Mr O'Leary described the article as "an irresponsible drugs guide" and
expressed surprise that there had not been a greater reaction to it by the
authorities.

He said he would raise the matter when the D=E1il resumes. A spokesperson
for the magazine yesterday defended the article and denied it was
irresponsible. "SKY doesn't endorse a way of life, it just describes one,"
said the spokesperson. "Our readers are over 18 and independent and we
present them with interesting information each month. The article has
additional information offering a drug helpline, so to say we are
irresponsible is misplaced."

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

Police Seize Body Shop Hemp Products ('The Scotsman' Says French Gendarmes
Entered A Body Shop Store In Aix-En-Provence And Seized Lip Conditioner,
Hand Oil And Elbow Grease Containing Hemp Seed Oil, Claiming The Products
Encouraged Drug Use, Even Though The Hemp Used In The Products
Was Grown In France)

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 13:22:06 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: France: Police Seize Body Shop Hemp Products
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: shug@shug.co.uk
Source: Scotsman (UK)
Contact: Letters_ts@scotsman.com
Website: http://www.scotsman.com/
Pubdate: 28 Aug 1998

POLICE SEIZE BODY SHOP HEMP PRODUCTS

FRENCH police seized lip conditioner, hand oil and elbow grease containing
hemp seed oil from a Body Shop store - because they claim the products
encourage drug use.

Body Shop founder Anita Roddick yesterday said she was "amazed" by the
action of gendarmes who entered her shop in Aix-en-Provence and took
products from the Hemp range, as well as promotional material.

Ms Roddick said: "You'd have to smoke a hemp joint the size of a telephone
pole to get the least buzz and you'd die from carbon monoxide first.

"France is in the forefront of the hemp revolution, in fact the hemp seed
oil in The Body Shop range comes from France.

"However, we are being restricted in Aix-en-Provence from promoting our
Hemp range.

"I know the French perfected the art of irony in the past, but right now
I'd like to see them get a better grip on the future."

The Body Shop said it had launched the Hemp range in the UK, the US and
other markets over the past few months with tremendous success.

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

Body Shop's Hemp Products Blow Up A Storm In France
(The Version In Britain's 'Times')

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 15:36:49 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: France: Body Shop's Hemp
Products Blow Up a Storm in France
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: shug@shug.co.uk
Source: Times, The (UK)
Contact: letters@the-times.co.uk
Website: http://www.the-times.co.uk/
Pubdate: Fri, 28 Aug 1998
Author: Susan Bell

BODY SHOP'S HEMP PRODUCTS BLOW UP A STORM IN FRANCE

THE Body Shop may be prosecuted for promoting drug use after French police
raided a branch of the ecologically friendly retail group in
Aix-en-Provence. They seized stocks of hand lotion, lip conditioner and
body oil from the company's new hemp product range, claiming that they
encouraged the use of cannabis. The Body Shop products are made with
industrial-grade hemp seed oil extracted from the hemp plant, which is part
of the cannabis family. The oil does contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol),
the compound that provides the "high" from marijuana, but only in
negligible quantities.

"You'd have to smoke a hemp joint the size of a telephone pole to get the
least buzz and you'd die from carbon monoxide first," Anita Roddick, the
founder of The Body Shop, said yesterday. She expressed "amazement" at the
action of the gendarmes, who also seized all promotional material on the
products during the raid on Wednesday.

The seized items were returned, but a report was submitted to the public
prosecutor in Aix-en-Provence. A spokesman for the prosecutor's office said
yesterday that any legal action would probably focus on the packaging
rather than the products. Posters advertising the range show the hemp leaf.

A Body Shop spokesman denied that the range encouraged drug use and said
the company's aim was to distance industrial hemp from marijuana by
educating people on the ecological benefits of cultivating hemp and the
uses to which it could be put. There are more than 25,000 known uses for
hemp, including fuel, textiles, building materials and fabrics.

The hemp seed oil used to make the Body Shop products comes from France,
which Ms Roddick described as "being in the forefront of the hemp
revolution".

The Body Shop launched the hemp products in its 22 shops in France on
Monday. The range has already enjoyed huge success in Britain and America.
In Britain, it accounted for 5 per cent of total sales in April, a month
after it was introduced.