-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Quiet Crusader - Jeff Jones Has Good Reason For Taking The Heat
In The Medicinal Marijuana Battle (A Feature Article
In 'The San Francisco Chronicle' About The 24-Year-Old Director
Of The Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, Flagship Of The Industry)
From: BulldogUSA@aol.com
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 02:44:10 EDT
To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Subject: DPFCA: The Quiet Crusader - SF CRONICLE
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Reply-To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/
The Quiet Crusader - Jeff Jones has good reason
for taking the heat in the medicinal marijuana battle
Thaai Walker
Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, September 4, 1998
As the cancer stole his father away bit by bit, 14-year-old Jeff Jones would
sit by his bedside in their South Dakota home and talk about fishing and
camping and other ordinary things a boy might discuss with his father, as
though time wasn't running out.
Those are days that Jones, now 24, does not like to remember. But he forces
himself to when he needs a reminder of why he has given up everything -- old
friends, a college education, the regular worries of a young adult -- to
become one of Northern California's leading crusaders for the rights of the
ill and dying to use medicinal marijuana.
Soft-spoken and shy, Jones, the co-founder and executive director of Oakland's
Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, seems an unlikely person to be at the center of
one of the biggest political battles in California.
But in the almost two years since California's passage of Proposition 215, the
law that legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, Jones' cooperative has
been labeled a model program and Oakland has willingly put itself at legal
risk for the club by declaring it a city agency in an attempt to shield it
from federal attempts to shut it down.
``Jeff has always made an attempt to be professional and has done everything
he could to cooperate with the community, law enforcement, the medical
community,'' says Dale Gieringer, coordinator of the California branch for the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
The fate of Jones' club -- as well as clubs in Ukiah and the Marin County town
of Fairfax -- is in the hands of U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer. On
Monday, the judge rejected government arguments that the clubs should be shut
down immediately for violating federal drug laws.
A hearing on whether the case should go to a jury trial is scheduled for
September 28. The clubs are allowed to remain open until then.
But Breyer rejected the Oakland club's novel legal argument that it should be
immune from prosecution because its staff had been designated as ``officers of
the city'' by Oakland last month -- a status, attorneys for the club argued,
that gave it protection under a provision of the Federal Controlled Substances
Act.
Oakland officials say that despite Breyer's ruling, the club will remain a
city-sanctioned agency.
``If the cannabis club wasn't being operated as it is by Jeff, I would have
some concerns,'' says Councilman Nate Miley. ``But I'm pleased to stand by
this young man and put the full weight and authority I have behind him.''
As a show of support, the City Council also told police to make medical
marijuana arrests a low priority and passed a policy that gives users of
medical marijuana permission to store up to 1 1/2 pounds of it -- 24 times
more than is allowed under state law.
Not everyone is happy about the leniency afforded the Oakland club. City
Manager Robert Bobb, Police Chief Joseph Samuels and Councilman Ignacio De La
Fuente have said they consider the 1 1/2- pound policy too permissive.
Officials of the U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment on Jones or
the club.
But 2,000 club members with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and other ailments are
delighted by what Jones has been able to pull off.
``He is putting his freedom on the line for us, the patients,'' says club
member Ken Estes, a gaunt, ponytailed man who has been wheelchair-bound since
a motorcycle accident 22 years ago. ``I have the utmost respect for him for
that.''
Such sentiments weigh heavily on the lanky, boyish-faced Jones, who resembles
those wholesome- looking missionaries who stand on street corners and politely
but determinedly ask whether you've come to know the Lord yet. Jones is not a
natural-born crusader. He speaks quietly and blushes easily. In high school,
he was kicked off the debate team because he mumbled.
``Sometimes, I think, `You're only 24,' and it freaks me out,'' Jones says.
``I think, `What the hell am I doing?' '' For Jones, the daily worry isn't
simply that the club's doors will someday be padlocked. As a named co-
defendant in the federal suit against the club, Jones himself faces civil
conspiracy charges. He worries that they may be upgraded to criminal and that
he will end up in jail.
In his hometown of Rapid City, S.D., word of what he is doing in Oakland has
spread. Old friends have severed ties, saying they don't agree with his
mission or that they are afraid of the federal attention he is attracting.
After a story about Jones appeared in the local newspaper last year, the Rapid
City mayor and sheriff threw an anti-marijuana rally.
Marijuana was never discussed when Jones' father, Wayne, was dying of cancer.
First it invaded his kidneys and then his lungs; he slipped from a hearty
200-pound man to a 100-pound silhouette of his former self in a matter of a
year.
Years after his father's death, when the growing national debate about
marijuana for medicinal purposes caught his attention, Jones began to wonder
whether marijuana would have helped ease his father's torment. He now grows
angry at the thought that it was never an option.
Jones came to the Bay Area in 1994 on a one-way bus ticket from South Dakota.
He left college to join lobbying efforts to legalize marijuana.
After passage of Proposition 215 in November 1996, Jones and a handful of
others opened the cannabis club in a third-floor office of a nondescript
building on Broadway. Ten staff members and a handful of volunteers run the
operation, which sees as many as 100 customers a day.
The Oakland cooperative is a different scene from the one captured by
television news crews at Dennis Peron's former San Francisco club
--a ``social Amsterdam- like speakeasy'' image that ``tainted'' all other
clubs, lobbyist Gieringer says.
In contrast, the Oakland club is a no-smoking zone. A sign on the wall beyond
the front door announces that cash, ATM cards and credit cards are accepted.
Support groups and massages are offered.
Marijuana is sold from a back room that can be entered only by showing a
police-approved club identification card to a private security guard. That
card can be obtained only by providing a doctor's letter that is verified by
an on-staff nurse, Jones says.
Here, often-isolated people get a chance to meet new friends; to talk and
laugh and forget for a while about the pain and loneliness that come with
their illnesses.
But it is a somber place, too. Jones has gone, he says, from ``one person in
my immediate family dying to people dying all around me all the time.''
He admits that part of him wants to finish college, to travel the world, to
just be 24 and nothing else. Not a week goes by that he doesn't question what
he is doing.
Then he thinks of his father. And he is grounded.
``I knew in my father's eyes what he was feeling when he was dying,'' he says.
``I know what I'm doing now is right.''
(c)1998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A19
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Teen Was Stripped For Wire, Girl Says ('The Orange County Register'
Says The Former Girlfriend Of 17-Year-Old Methamphetamine Informant
Chad MacDonald Of Yorba Linda, California, Testified Thursday
Against The Three Men Who Tortured And Killed The Snitch Before Raping
And Trying To Kill Her)
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 06:30:47 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Teen Was Stripped For Wire, Girl Says
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: John W.Black
Source: Orange County Register (CA)
Contact: letters@link.freedom.com
Website: http://www.ocregister.com/
Pubdate: 4 Sep 98
Author:Stuart Pfeifer-OCR
TEEN WAS STRIPPED FOR WIRE, GIRL SAYS
Testimony: She says the three suspects accused Chad MacDonald of working
for the police, then robbed, beat and killed him.
The killers of teen-age police informant Chad MacDonald strip-searched him
while hunting for a hidden wire and accused him of working for the
police, his girlfriend testified Thursday.
The 17-year-old girl's testimony was the first indication - outside of
accusations by MacDonald's family - that the boy's work for Brea police
could have played a role in his death March 3.
Testifying at a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles County Municipal Court,
the girl explained that the suspects told MacDonald of their suspicions
while searching him at gunpoint at a Norwalk drug house.
The interrogation proceeded for several gruesome hours during which the
Yorba Linda teenagers were beaten with guns, choked with ropes and robbed
of all their possessions, the girl testified.
Judge Stephen Marcus closed the courtroom during the girl's testimony,
citing a state law that allows such restrictions when minors testify about
sexual assault. The Orange County Register is not publishing her name
because she is a minor and a sexual-assault victim. A transcript of the
girl's testimony was made available Thursday evening.
The case attracted national media attention after it was disclosed that
MacDonald had worked as an informant, in one instance buying drugs while
wearing a wire for Brea police in an unsuccessful effort to avoid
prosecution for a drug arrest.
MacDonald's family has sued Brea police, accusing officers of misleading
the teen and his mother to secure his assistance as an informant, a role
they blame for his death.
Last week, the state Legislature passed a bill that imposes new
restrictions, and in some cases prohibits, the use of minors as police
informants.
MacDonald, 17, often visited the house to buy and use methamphetamine, the
girl testified. The couple were smoking methamphetamine with the three
suspects and seemed to be getting along before the atmosphere changed, the
girl said.
"You guys are working for the police," suspect Florence Noriega said ,
according to the girl.
"If I was working for the police, don't you think they would be here by
now," MacDonald responded, according to his girlfriend.
At that point, Noriega and suspects Michael Martinez and Jose Ibarra
threatened the couple with guns, robbed them of their valuables and forced
MacDonald to drive to an ATM machine to try to get more cash, the girl said.
After they returned to the house, Noriega banged the teenagers' heads
together and demanded they come up with $800, the girl testified. She was
then forced to listen as the suspects strangled and beat her bound and
gagged boyfriend. The sounds were so chilling, the girl said, that she
pleaded with her assailants to cover her ears so she wouldn't have to listen.
"I was like, please, I don't want to hear this," the girl testified.
The girl said Ibarra raped her at gunpoint in a bedroom. She then saw
Noriega and Martinez carrying a body from the house, she said.
Police later found MacDonald's body in a south Los Angeles alley. The girl
testified that the three suspects tried to choke her with a rope while
driving her through West Covina.
She fought off the attack in the car, but feared she was going to die when
the assailants forced her into a drainage ditch and began choking her again.
She woke up hours later, alone in the ditch, bleeding from a gunshot wound
to the jaw, and wandered off to find help.
If convicted, the three suspects could face the death penalty.
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Police Get Bird's-Eye View Of Pot Fields ('The Daily Gazette'
Describes The Annual Helicopter Assault On Corn Fields
In The Schenectady, New York, Area - Marijuana Grown Outdoors
Was The State's Number One Crop In 1997, Based On Eradication Figures
And The DEA's Estimated Value Of $2,000 To $9,000 Per Plant)
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 09:22:38 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US NY: Police Get Bird's-Eye View Of Pot Fields
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Walter F. Wouk
Source: Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
Contact: gazette@dailygazette.com
Website: http://www.dailygazette.com
Pubdate: Fri, 04 Sep 1998
Author: Brian Nearing - Gazette Reporter
POlICE GET BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF POT FIELDS
"You look down into a cornfield and you can see the pot plants in small
patches . . . like holes punched out in the middle of the field."
Lt. Geb Wolf State police pilot
Lt. Geb Wolf maneuvered the blue-and-gold state police helicopter over a
cornfield in Schuylerville, giving directions to officers on the ground
below.
"Walk down that row . . . Turn right . . . some more . . . Down the row. It
should be right there," Wolf intoned into his radio headset.
The target: a 5-foot leafy green marijuana plant nestled amid row after row
of corn. An officer armed with a machete hacked it down and dragged it away,
along with about a half-dozen others.
Surrounded by rows of 8-foot cornstalks, the marijuana was all but invisible
to anyone on the ground, but not to Wolf, who was looking down at the field
from about 500 feet in the air.
As summer nears its end, the harvest season is approaching for area farmers.
The same goes for local marijuana growers, too, some of whom have already
started gathering their crop.
Wolf and other members of the state police aviation unit have been flying
for about a month, locating and pulling up marijuana plants wherever they
find them. The crop is a little early this year, like everything else,
because of the warm damp weather earlier in the season.
"You look down into a cornfield and you can see the pot plants in small
patches . . . like holes punched out in the middle of the field," said Wolf,
an 18-year pilot. "It's a distinctive shade of green. Looks a lot like a
Christmas tree . . . Doesn't match the corn."
Indeed, the dark green of the marijuana patches stood out against the
green-yellow of the corn.
Other telltale signs Wolf watches for are vehicle tracks leading into woods,
along with irrigation tubing and hoses that seem out of place. "We look
during the year whenever we're out . . . and if we notice anything, we keep
an eye on it and go back later."
Marijuana growers know that the eye in the sky is there, and do what they
can to protect their crop. Some growers in Washington County are now tying
down their plants along the ground, so the bushes don't stick up, said
Investigator Paul Gacik. Some even use camouflage netting to cover plants,
making it harder to spot them from the air.
"It's not like it was years ago. Growers would put a whole patch [of
marijuana] right in the middle of a field. A blind man could see it," Gacik
said.
Now, the growers are planting smaller patches, so it's harder to see.
Hunting with Wolf on Wednesday turned up only the half-dozen plants from the
cornfield near Cheese Factory Road.
Those plants had been missed on an earlier police raid about three weeks
ago.
"It's hard to find it in there some-times," said Investigator Richard Sala.
"It's like a maze."
And an earlier Wednesday foray over woods near Casey Road turned up
nothing - only some Scotch pines that Wolf initially thought might be
marijuana. The marijuana was harder to spot in the woods, with its hues of
green-gray, green-silver, green-brown and green-red. Wolf circled and
circled over the woods, but came up empty.
Two undercover officers in the helicopter with Wolf had gotten a tip that
someone was growing marijuana nearby, and pointed to a nearby home. "That's
our friend there, who has twice been convicted for growing," said one.
Marijuana growing is a big business in New York state, and across the
country. Because it is illegal, it's hard to say exactly how much is grown,
said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman Diane Ingalls.
But based on the value of outdoor marijuana seized by state and federal
officials, marijuana is the state's largest cash crop, well ahead of apples,
the No. 1 legal crop.
Last year, officials tore up about 43,900 marijuana plants, with a value of
between $87.9 million and $395.8 million. This is based on DEA figures that
estimate the value of a marijuana plant at between $2,000 and $9,000,
depending on the quality of the plant.
In comparison, the apple crop in New York state last year was about $144
million.
And 1997 was an off year for marijuana, Gacik said. "It was way down. The
weather was too dry."
In 1996, more than 129,000 marijuana plants were seized in the state. That
was worth between $258 million and $1.1 billion, based on the DEA figures.
In that same year, growers produced about $138 million worth of apples.
Nationwide, more than 3.6 million marijuana plants were seized in 49 states
last year, with only Wyoming not involved in seizures, according to the DEA.
The government effort directed toward trying to eradicate marijuana is a
waste of taxpayers' money, claimed a local advocate of marijuana use.
"Why are we still doing this?" asked Jonathan von Linden, executive director
of the Schoharie County chapter of the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws. "This is a plant that has never killed anybody. Why don't
we just legalize and regulate it."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Re - Initiative 59 Wins In Court (A Bulletin From Colorado Citizens
For Compassionate Cannabis Comments On Yesterday's News
That A Medical Marijuana Measure Will Be On The November Ballot
In Washington, DC, Without Any Support From Americans For Medical Rights -
Includes A Url For The Text Of The DC Initiative)
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 01:26:27 -0600 (MDT)
From: "Colo. Hemp Init. Project" (cohip@levellers.org)
To: "Colo. Hemp Init. Project" (cohip@levellers.org)
Subject: DC Med. Mj. Init. Wins Court Battle (9/3/98)
Please copy and re-distribute this announcement.
INITIATIVE 59 WINS IN COURT!
[snipped to avoid duplication - follow link to original. - ed.]
***
From Colorado Citizens for Compassionate Cannabis
September 4, 1998
Dear friends,
The Yes on 59 campaign has overcome many obstacles to secure a spot on the
ballot. It's been almost two years since the passage of Prop. 215 in
California when Steve Michael and Wayne Turner announced their intentions
to put a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot in D.C. Sadly, Steve
won't be around to see the fruition of all his hard work. Thankfully,
Wayne Turner has been the model for courage and determination. Despite the
loss of his lover and the disruption caused by an influx of tens of
thousands of dollars by Americans for Medical Rights to fund a competing
medical marijuana initiative (which was never circulated), Wayne remained
focused and strong. He has met and overcome all of the obstacles thrown in
his way with a professionalism and integrity that is truly remarkable. I
really can't laud him and the other DC activists that worked on the I-59
campaign enough.
Now that their spot on the D.C. ballot is virtually guaranteed, the Yes on
59 campaign has the opportunity to speak loudly and clearly on behalf of
seriously and terminally ill patients nationwide. The opposition to
patients will come from Congress, the White House, Drug (biz) Czar Gen.
Barry R. McCaffrey, and others who are employed in the nation's capitol
promoting drug laws that harm sick people.
Because D.C. is our nation's capitol, passage of I-59 will be even bigger
than the passage of Prop. 215 in California. Passage of I-59 in D.C. will
send a clear message to the federal government, from their own backyard,
that the people want to protect patients from prosecution. Passage of I-59
will also be important because, unlike Prop. 215, I-59 clearly allows the
distribution of medical marijuana by not-for-profit corporations. For text
of I-59, see: http://www.actupdc.org/text59pg.htm
In addition, because D.C. is a federal district, not a state, every law
passed by D.C. voters or enacted by the city council has to be reviewed by
Congress. Therefore, the enactment of I-59 by the voters of D.C. will
require a debate in Congress on the merits of medical marijuana.
This campaign for I-59 will be historic. Unfortunately, the Yes on 59
campaign has not received the financial support that other medical
marijuana ballot initiatives around the country have received. In
Colorado, California-based Americans for Medical Rights spent at least
$150,000 to circulate a ballot initiative (which many patients and
advocates didn't support) that was ruled to have insufficient signatures to
qualify for the ballot. (The Secretary of State estimated that only 54% of
their signatures were valid.) AMR is challenging the ruling in district
court, but it will not be easy to overcome such a huge signature deficit.
In Maine, AMR spent $250,000 and also failed to gather enough signatures to
get on the ballot. In D.C., AMR spent an estimated $100,000 and didn't
even get their petition into circulation. For more information on the AMR
campaigns, see: http://www.levellers.org/lemodel.htm
A lot of money has been wasted on failed ballot initiative efforts this
year. Activists in Colorado, D.C., Maine and Alaska have been very
critical of this waste of resources in the past. We want to reassure
potential contributors that there are still organizations who spend
campaign donations wisely and successfully. The Initiative 59 campaign is
the perfect example. Their whole two-year campaign has been run on
probably well less than $20,000. As I said before, the Yes on 59 campaign
is composed of committed professionals, and they will succeed. Your
donations will not be wasted. Please, be as generous as possible
and help be a part of this historic campaign.
Laura Kriho
Colorado Citizens for Compassionate Cannabis
***
Donations can be made to:
Yes on 59 Campaign
409 H Street N.E. - Suite #1
Washington, D.C. 20002-4335
Phone: (202) 547-9404
Fax: (202) 547-9448
For more information on the DC campaign, see:
http://www.actupdc.org
http://www.levellers.org/dcstat.htm
***
ACT UP! FIGHT BACK! FIGHT AIDS!
ACT UP! FIGHT BACK! FIGHT AIDS!
ACT UP! FIGHT BACK! FIGHT AIDS!
***
Distributed by:
Colorado Citizens for Compassionate Cannabis
P.O. Box 729
Nederland, CO 80466
Phone: (303) 448-5640
Email: cohip@levellers.org
Web: http://www.levellers.org/cannabis.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Respect Will Come When Drugs Are Forced To Go (An Op-Ed
In 'The Los Angeles Times' By The White House Drug Czar,
General Barry McCaffrey, Tries A Different Approach From The Usual 'Only Losers
Use Drugs' Line, Making The Rhetorical But Unfounded Assertion That 'Drug Use
Among Athletes Broadcasts A Mixed Message That Puts Athletes, Their Sports
And Our Children At Risk' - As If No One Had Ever Heard Of Babe Ruth)
From: "Peter McWilliams" (peter@mcwilliams.com)
To: "Peter McWilliams" (peter@mcwilliams.com)
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 10:39:41 +0100
Here's Barry at the bat, with another ghost-written bit of pabulum from the
Drug Warriors. This was printed on the OpEd page of the LA Times, so they
usually print more than the usual amount of "rebuttal" letters.
Hop on it, sports fans!
Enjoy,
Peter
***
LA Times letters: letters@latimes.com
Friday, September 4, 1998
Respect Will Come When Drugs Are Forced to Go
* Athletics: Major league sports and its sponsors must set an
example for children.
By BARRY R. McCAFFREY
From the Tour de France raids to the latest basketball drug
bust, the use of drugs in the sports world once again has captured
headlines. Drug use among athletes broadcasts a mixed message that puts
athletes, their sports and our children at risk. We need to act now to make
the field of play a drug-free zone.
Children learn from and emulate athletes - whether it is
their shooting stance or their drug use. For example, after the tragic death
of Len Bias, youth cocaine use suddenly dropped. When athletes use drugs and
are simultaneously rewarded for their athleticism, our children get the
misimpression that drugs are not dangerous to physical well-being, dreams
and aspirations. Once a child believes these falsehoods, the toll begins to
mount: drug use, addiction, crime and even death.
Drug use by athletes also threatens the world of sport.
Widespread allegations of drug use in athletics will cause chronic public
cynicism. Outstanding feats of athleticism will be chalked up to better
drugs, not greater character. Parents who fear drug use by their children
find it hard to justify paying hard-earned wages to take their children to
sporting events, only to spend difficult hours explaining away the behavior
of the stars they helped create. The momentum must shift; we need to take
the incentives out of drug use. When sponsors say no to drug use, the
sponsored will stop. Money talks.
For Olympic athletes, however, the rewards are primarily
medals and honor. The International Olympic Committee is taking steps to
combat drugs, such as banning "nonperformance enhancing" drugs such as
marijuana and Ecstasy and calling for a new, stronger drug testing agency.
Now it must respond to admissions of doping coming out of the trials of
former East German swim coaches and doctors who gave athletes steroids
without their knowledge in order to increase "socialism's" medal count.
Stripping medals from these victimized athletes seems unnecessary. Their
suffering alone suffices to make the case against drug use.
To let these victories stand unremarked, however, sends the
wrong messages to coaches, athletes and children. Steroid use among young
girls in America is up; a study by Penn State University found that 175,000
high school girls reported taking steroids one or more times. Unless we make
the consequences of drug use clear, more young women and men are likely to
put themselves at risk. It seems past time to recognize and give medals to
the true heroes of past Olympic competitions: the athletes who competed
clean but were cheated of their victories by their competitors' doping.
Professional basketball as well needs to set straight its
messages about drugs. Current National Basketball Assn. rules do not
prohibit marijuana use by players, which some sources peg at 50% to 75% of
the athletes. This situation puts the players, our children and even the
game at risk: Players and management must join the ranks of the millions of
other drug-free workplaces, which test employees at all levels, provide
treatment programs and sanction continued drug use.
There are some positive signs. Eighteen major league
baseball teams are showing anti-drug public service announcements in their
stadiums at every home game. Major league soccer is sending strong anti-drug
messages to its young fans and has named Dante Washington, star forward with
the Dallas Burn, as national spokesperson against youth drug use. On Oct.
23, as part of the Office of Drug Policy's athletic initiative, the first
ever "National Coachathon Against Drugs" will see coaches across the
nation--from the peewee leagues to the big leagues--starting their practices
with a message against drugs to their players and students.
These are good signs, but we must do more. Parents, coaches
and youth leaders must insist that athletes as well as the organizations
they represent and the companies that sponsor them are worthy of the respect
of their young fans. Respect is earned; it will come when the world of
sports takes a united stand against drugs.
Gen. Barry R. Mccaffrey Is Director of the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy
Copyright 1998 Los Angeles Times. All Rights Reserved
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Scientists Don't Know If 'Andro' Is Dangerous
(According To A 'Dallas Morning News' Article In 'The Toronto Star,'
Tim Ziegenfuss, An Assistant Professor Of Exercise Science
At Eastern Michigan University, Says That Except For A 1962 Study
On Two Women, 'There's Not A Single Published Report In The US
As To The Effects Of Androstenedione On Testosterone')
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 09:51:51 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Scientists Don't Know if 'Andro' is Dangerous
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Dave Haans
Source: Toronto Star (Canada)
Contact: lettertoed@thestar.com
Website: http://www.thestar.com/
Pubdate: Fri, 4 Sep 1998
Authors: Sue Goetinck and Laura Beil - Dallas Morning News
SCIENTISTS DON'T KNOW IF 'ANDRO' IS DANGEROUS
Little research on supplement's side effects
Baseball slugger Mark McGwire may be leading the major leagues in home
runs, but scientists aren't so sure that "andro" power has anything to do
with it.
They also can't say whether androstenedione - the supplement McGwire and
many amateur athletes are taking to try to boost testosterone levels, and
thus enhance their performance - is safe.
Except for a 1962 study on two women, "there's not a single published
report in the U.S. as to the effects of androstenedione on testosterone,"
says Tim Ziegenfuss, an assistant professor of exercise science at Eastern
Michigan University.
Excess testosterone can help build muscle, but doctors fear it may cause
cardiovascular, liver or other problems. However, distributors say "andro"
products don't raise testosterone levels enough to be harmful.
Scientists and physicians say little research is available addressing the
supplement's potential muscle- and stamina-building effects, as well as
side effects, in people.
Researchers say the lack of studies so far, and the fact that high doses of
other, related steroids can cause medical problems, should make users pause
before risking their health for uncertain athletic gain.
Although it is unclear what happens when using the supplement, naturally
produced androstenedione is converted in the body into the male hormone
testosterone, as well as into the female hormone estrogen. This happens
only in tissues that contain the right machinery, such as the adrenal
glands, testes and ovaries.
The concerns about androstenedione's side effects focus on the
testosterone. In healthy people, doctors worry that unusually high levels
of testosterone might trigger various health problems.
The actual side effects of high testosterone are "not as clear as you might
think," says Richard Casaburi of Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre in Torrance,
Calif. That's partly because scientists aren't going to conduct a study
that calls for giving high doses of the hormone for a long time.
One of the few studies on the effects of androstenedione in people was
conducted recently by Ziegenfuss. He tested fewer than 10 men, he says, and
found only a small increase in blood levels of testosterone 90 minutes
after the men took a single 100-milligram dose of androstenedione.
But, he says, his study was not designed to address whether taking
androstenedione increases athletic performance, or whether it has any short
or Iong-term side effects.
The work was funded by Patrick Arnold, who says he introduced
androstenedione to the United States in 1996.
Arnold, who heads an Illinois company called Seymour BioOrganics Inc., says
he had noticed a description of the compound on U.S. patent documents filed
by two German researchers in 1993.
The scientific claim most widely touted by U.S. distributors - that
androstenedione raises testosterone levels by as much as 237 per cent -
traces to this patent paperwork, Arnold says. The patent did not include a
citation of a published scientific study.
Meanwhile, critics have questioned whether androstenedione, and not
McGwire's natural ability, should be credited for his home runs. One
scientist noted it takes more than muscle to hit home runs.
Hand-eye co-ordination is key, says Michael Meyers, professor of sports
physiology at the University of Houston, and steroids are not known to make
this ability better or worse.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Doctors Leaders Rule Out Random Tests After Shock Drugs Survey
('The Associated Press' Says A New British Survey Of 114 Doctors
Who Have Graduated Recently From The University Of Newcastle
Found Those Who Used Alcohol And Illegal Substances Did So
Mostly For Pleasure - 93 Percent Drank Alcohol, More Than 35 Percent
Of The Men And 19 Percent Of Women Used Cannabis, And 13 Percent
Of Men And 10 Percent Of Women Used Other Illicit Drugs,
Including Magic Mushrooms, LSD, Ecstasy, Amyl Nitrate, Cocaine
And Amphetamines)
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 09:36:58 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: UK: Wire: Doctors Leaders Rule Out
Random Tests After Shock Drugs Survey
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: Associated Press
Pubdate: Fri, 4 Sep 1998
DOCTORS LEADERS RULE OUT RANDOM TESTS AFTER SHOCK DRUGS SURVEY
Doctors leaders today rejected the introduction of random drugs tests after
a new study found that drug abuse and excessive drinking are shockingly
commonplace among younger members of the profession.
The study of the lifestyles of 90 junior house officers, most of them
women, found that 93% drank alcohol, of whom 60% exceeded recommended
safety limits.
More than 35% of the men and 19% of women were using cannabis, with over
11% taking it regularly.
A high proportion of the doctors, 13% of men and 10% of women, used other
illicit drugs including magic mushrooms, LSD, ecstasy, amyl nitrate,
cocaine and amphetamines.
The main reason for drinking and drug taking was given as "pleasure".
However, the investigators found that most of the doctors had high
work-related stress levels, producing anxiety and depression.
All the doctors taking part in the survey were contacted a year after
graduating from the University of Newcastle. Of 114 contacted, 90 -
including 51 women - agreed to provide information on an anonymous basis.
Dr Farhad Kamali and colleagues from the university, who carried out the
survey, wrote in the Lancet medical journal: "It is unlikely these
lifestyles apply only to house officers in the north east of England.
"The current drinking habits, illicit drug use and stress in some junior
doctors is of concern, not only for their own well being, but also how they
may affect patient care."
They raised the question of whether routine or random drug and alcohol
testing should be introduced for junior doctors. The doctors added: "There
is no evidence that such schemes would be workable or appropriate in the UK
National Health Service, but mandatory urine screening is undertaken in the
UK army, and some UK industries, and for doctors in the USA."
A statement from the British Medical Association said: "The Lancet
article's findings are consistent with the BMA's own research on junior
doctors drinking above safe limits, often to combat stress.
"The information on recreational drug use is new to the BMA, but it looks
consistent with patterns of recreational drug use by young people
generally.
"We cannot tell from The Lancet article how many of these young doctors may
have an addiction problem or might develop one, but we take the problem of
drug and alcohol misuse by doctors very seriously.
"All the evidence is that if you can intervene and offer support to a
doctor with problems early on, they have a good chance of recovery."
However, the statement said any proposal to introduce random or routine
drug testing would have "major civil liberties implications". "We have not
seen evidence that testing all these groups of health professionals is
necessary, or that it would be effective. If such a proposal were to be put
forward, the BMA would want to consider the evidence very carefully."
1998 Press Association
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Alarm Over Junior Doctors' Drug Abuse (The Version In Britain's 'Guardian')
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 05:17:45 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: UK: Alarm Over Junior Doctors' Drug Abuse
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)
Source: The Guardian (UK)
Contact: letters@guardian.co.uk
Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Pubdate: Fri, 04 Sep 1998
Author: Sarah Boseley, Health Correspondent
ALARM OVER JUNIOR DOCTORS' DRUG ABUSE
There were calls for random dope testing in the medical profession yesterday
as a report emerged showing that one in three male junior doctors uses
cannabis and more than 10 per cent of both sexes take other drugs, from
ecstasy to LSD and cocaine.
A study in this week's Lancet medical journal reveals that heavy drinking
and the use of illicit drugs are common among young doctors in their early
20s. A survey of 90 house officers, one year after graduation from Newcastle
university, reveals that of the 93 per cent who drank, 60 per cent exceeded
the recommended safe limits. A quarter of men and a third of women indulged
in "binge drinking" - consuming more than half the recommended limit (14
units for a woman and 21 for a man) in one session.
The doctors said they drank for pleasure, and three quarters claimed their
drug use was also recreational. More than 35 per cent of men and 19 per cent
of women used cannabis, more than 11 per cent using it weekly or monthly.
The other drugs, used by 13 per cent of men and 10 per cent of women, were
hallucinogenic mushrooms, LSD, ecstasy, amyl nitrite, cocaine and
amphetamines.
While Farhad Kamali from the Wolfson Unit of Clinical Pharmacology at
Newcastle university and colleagues, the authors of the study, acknowledge
that the drink and drugs pattern is not dissimilar to that of other people
of the same age, they are concerned at the implications.
"The current drinking habits, illicit drug use and stress in some junior
doctors are of concern, not only for their own well-being, but also how they
may affect patient care," they write. They ask whether routine or random
drug and alcohol screening should be introduced, pointing out that they
exist in the army and some industries in the UK and among doctors in the
United States.
Dr Kamali said he and his colleagues proposed to do further studies of older
groups of doctors to see whether "once they mature and reach a position of
responsibility they will curb their unhealthy lifestyles".
Mark Porter, an anaesthetist in Coventry who chairs the British Medical
Association's Junior Doctors Committee, said he was sure the drinking and
drug taking were no different from that of other young people. "In terms of
marijuana use, I don't think there is anything to be worried about," he
said. "The long-term effects are probably less dangerous than alcohol.
"We do know that the medical profession as a whole is more prone to
alcoholism than the general population." The stress of the job was part of
the reason. The study found the junior doctors were stressed and anxious.
On a rota to work one night in four, doctors often worked all night, then
spent a night recovering, then crammed four nights' social life into two, Dr
Porter said.
But Patrick Dixon, whose book The Truth About Drugs will be published on
Monday, claims one doctor in 10 is dependent on either drink or drugs, and
alleges that deaths and injuries result.
"If your mother has a hip replacement operation on a Monday morning and is
admitted by two anaesthetists and a medical team of three, there is a 50 per
cent risk that one of the five will be incompetent because of intoxication
or withdrawing from intoxication.
"Research shows you are four times more likely to be involved in job-related
accidents if you are on drink or drugs. The medical equivalent of that is
slipping with the scalpel or prescribing the wrong dose. When we make
mistakes, people get sick and if they are very sick, they die.
"If a doctor has a blood alcohol level that would make it illegal to drive a
car, they should not be in an operating theatre."
He wanted to see random drink and drug testing in the NHS, he said, but the
British Medical Association disagrees, arguing it would have major civil
liberties implications. "We have not seen evidence that testing health
professionals is necessary, or that it would be effective. If such a
proposal were to be put forward, the BMA would want to consider it very
carefully," it said in a statement.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Week Online With DRCNet, Issue Number 57 (An Original Summary
Of Drug Policy News From The Drug Reform Coordination Network)
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 01:31:44 -0400
To: drc-natl@drcnet.org
From: DRCNet (drcnet@drcnet.org)
Subject: The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue No. 57
Sender: owner-drc-natl@drcnet.org
The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue No. 57 -- September 4, 1998
-------- PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE --------
(To sign off this list, mailto:listproc@drcnet.org with the
line "signoff drc-natl" in the body of the message, or
mailto:lists@drcnet.org for assistance. To subscribe to
this list, visit http://www.drcnet.org/signup.html.)
(This issue can be also be read on our web site at
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html.)
Check your DRCNet e-mail this Tuesday, when we will announce
a new special book offer for new and renewing members!
The last batch of books from the old book deal, Marijuana
Myths, Marijuana Facts, went out two weeks ago. Everyone
who is entitled to a copy from us should have it by now.
But just in case, if your copy of MMMF hasn't shown up,
please let us know right away; write to our new Membership
Coordinator, Kris Lotlikar, at lotlikar@drcnet.org. Kris is
also handling bumpersticker requests (sent to all new paying
members, and others upon request), and will be spearheading
the new book offer as well. With Kris on the job, we are
committed to "rapid response" on all promised items.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Gray vs. Satel in Slate Online Magazine
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#slate
2. Federal Judge Rejects Oakland Buyers' Club Status,
Rejects Government's Call for Immediate Shut-Down
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#breyer
3. Police Seize Methadone Treatment Clinic Files
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#clinic
4. In Response to Slaying, "Chad's Law" Will Place Stricter
Limits on Use of Children as Informants in California
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#brea
5. Judge Finds City-Imposed Restrictions on Scheduled
Marijuana Rally Unconstitutional
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#boston
6. Survey Finds American Teens Woefully Uninformed About
Government
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#survey
7. California State Senate Adjourns Without Taking Action on
Medical Marijuana Research Bill
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#calmedmj
8. Afghani Opium Crop Grows Despite Taliban's Promises of
Eradication
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#afghanopium
9. EDITORIAL: From Ignorance to Tyranny
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/057.html#editorial
***
1. Gray vs. Satel in Slate Online Magazine
Mike Gray, author of the book Drug Crazy, released by Random
House last June, is debating prohibitionist activist Sally
Satel on the online magazine Slate, http://www.slate.com.
Go to the Slate home page and click on the War on Drugs
dialogue link (toward the bottom of the page), link, then
read the Gray/Satel debate, vote and join the discussion;
you will have to register for a free trial account if you
are not a Slate subscriber. Last we checked, Gray and Satel
had each posted two installments. In our opinion, Satel's
lack of logic had already become apparent, next to our
favorite author's clear and forceful exposition of the hard
reality of prohibition's failure.
If you haven't been on DRCNet for very long and don't know
about Drug Crazy, we urge you to get out to your local
bookstore and pick up a copy, or suggest they order some
copies if you don't see it there. Drug Crazy is the best,
most readable history of prohibition ever written for the
popular audience. Mike Gray, whose credits include the
script from the hit movie The China Syndrome as well as work
on Star Trek: The Next Generation (and who is a member of
DRCNet's advisory board), spent six years researching and
writing Drug Crazy, about which he told the Chicago Tribune
last week "I look at everything I'd done as training for
this book," and about which New York magazine wrote "Gray's
point -- and though he's not the first to make it, he has
honed and hardened it enough to pierce the thickest skulls -
- is that the drug war isn't... an authentic conflict
between enemies but a hysterical splitting of the whole."
Further, Drug Crazy includes an extensive appendix of
Internet drug policy resources, highlighting DRCNet and the
early Internet drug policy reform work of DRCNet founder
David Borden and DRCNet drug library founder Cliff Schaffer.
Gray exchanged views with U.S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey on
CNN, a debate that McCaffrey tried to hide behind after
making a fool of himself in Europe with his wildly
inaccurate misstatements on the Netherlands drug situation
(see http://www.drcnet.org/wol/050.html#footinmouth).
A couple of reviews of Drug Crazy are available online --
Walter Kirn's review in New York magazine, July 13,
http://www.newyorkmag.com/Critics/view.asp?id=1551, and
amazingly, a review by Senior U.S. District Judge John L.
Kane, Jr., in the Denver Post, June 28, online at
http://www.denverpost.com/books/book286.htm. Read more
about Drug Crazy at http://www.drugcrazy.com.
***
2. Federal Judge Rejects Oakland Buyers' Club Status,
Rejects Government's Call for Immediate Shut-Down
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Monday (8/31) rejected
the Oakland city council's rather creative attempt to shield
that city's medical marijuana buyers' club from prosecution
under the federal controlled substances act, but declined
the federal government's request to order the club shut
down. Instead, Breyer indicated that he is considering
allowing a jury to decide on the question of medical
necessity on the part of those who are using the club.
Jeff Jones, director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers'
Cooperative told The Week Online, "First, we haven't seen
the written ruling yet, and we're anxious to read it in its
entirety, but I'd call the decision a mixed bag. While
Judge Breyer failed to recognize our immune status, he also
barred the U.S. Marshall's service from coming in to shut us
down. We'll appeal the first part of that, of course.
"Interestingly, when the U.S. Attorney argued to the court
that we were illegal under California law under People v.
Peron, Judge Breyer told him that he was under the
impression that we were legal under state law, and offered
the government the chance for a hearing on that issue. But
the government backed down, rather than have that point
decided definitively."
Jones Continued, "I am still recognized by the city of
Oakland as a city officer, and we are still operating under
the assumption that we are immune from federal law because
of that designation. And as to the possibility of a jury
trial, we are determined to have this case heard by a jury
of Californians, who voted strongly in favor of this issue,
who were not and have never been misled about the issue and
who will see and surely decide that we are committed to
relieving human suffering, while the federal government is,
in this case, committed to prolonging and exacerbating that
suffering. It will be the first time anywhere that a
medical necessity defense has been heard with regard to
multiple patients, and we are confident as to the outcome of
such a trial."
The U.S. Attorney's office did not return a phone call for
comment on this case.
***
3. Police Seize Methadone Treatment Clinic Files
- Kris Lotlikar
On August 14 Fairfax police officers seized the medical
record of 79 patients at the Fairfax Methadone Treatment
Clinic. The officers obtained a warrant from the local
magistrate to search the clinic after a car disappeared
which was left in the area. The officers did not give a
reason to suspect any from the clinic would be involved and
there were several office buildings closer to the scene of
the crime.
"How can I guarantee my patients any confidentiality when
the police think they can come in and help themselves to our
records?" Ofelia Sellati, the clinic's program director,
told the Washington Post. In an affidavit requesting the
warrant Detective Garnett Broderick wrote, "It is common for
people who have addictions to various narcotics... to engage
in these kinds of criminal activities to support [their]
drug addictions."
Critics of the police action say the warrant appeared to be
unconstitutionally broad and based on drug use stereotypes.
To seize drug-treatment records requires a special court
order, some privacy experts commented. "We want to be able
to help the police when they have a legal right to know,"
Sellati commented to the Washington Post. "But this was an
abuse of power."
***
4. In Response to Slaying, "Chad's Law" Will Place Stricter
Limits on Use of Children as Informants in California
By a margin of 70-1, the California State legislature has
passed a bill known as "Chad's Law" that would place limits
on the way law enforcement uses minors as informants. AB
2816 would prohibit the police from using informants under
13 years of age, and insure that teen-agers work undercover
only with informed parental consent and a judge's approval.
California State Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington
Beach) authored the bill in response to the murder last year
of teenager Chad MacDonald by dealers he'd informed upon in
cooperation with local police. MacDonald, 17, had been
arrested in January on a small possession charge, and wore a
wire as part of a deal to have the charges dropped. Two
months later he was beaten and strangled, and his 15-year-
old girlfriend raped, beaten and left for dead. (See the
March 27, 1998 issue of The Week Online for the full story
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/035.html#informant.)
"If this law had been in place last January," Baugh told the
Week Online, "The Chad MacDonald tragedy would never have
happened." First, law enforcement and prosecutors would not
have been able to use scare tactics such as telling
MacDonald he was facing a long prison term. (In fact,
according to Baugh, he would likely have been sentenced to
only 6 months in a drug rehab program.) Second, prosecutors
pressured MacDonald's mother into agreeing to the plan,
warning her not to consult with her fiance and telling her
she had only a day to make her decision. By requiring a
judge to approve the use of minor informants on a case-by-
case basis, the bill introduces a level of accountability
that should prevent such "coerced consent."
Originally, the bill proposed to prohibit children under 15
from undercover work. The age limit was amended to 13,
according to Baugh, after law enforcement representatives
testified before the Assembly that preventing younger
teenagers from informing would only encourage dealers to
recruit them into the drug trade. "They told us that thugs
would target younger children to do the dirty work," Baugh
said. The California State Assembly voted 70-1 to send the
bill to Gov. Pete Wilson, and the Senate approved the bill a
37-0 vote last Thursday. Governor Pete Wilson is expected
to sign the bill into law.
***
5. Judge Finds City-Imposed Restrictions on Scheduled
Marijuana Rally Unconstitutional
(reprinted from the NORML Weekly News, http://www.norml.org)
September 3, 1998, Boston, MA: A Superior Court Judge ruled
that free speech restrictions imposed on organizers of the
annual "Boston Freedom Rally" by city officials are
unconstitutional. William Downing, President of the NORML's
Massachusetts state affiliate, praised the judge's decision
to strike down the gag order. "The judge's decision
restores freedom of expression and assembly on the Boston
Common."
Earlier this year, city officials reluctantly granted the
organization permission to hold the event, but included a
requirement that all speakers and performers discourage
marijuana smoking and announce that police would enforce all
state drug laws. This week, Judge Carol Ball determined
that the city's stipulations for the speakers were
"constitutionally impermissible," and also enjoined the city
from enforcing many of the permit's other requirements.
In past years, the "Freedom Rally" has drawn crowds
approaching 100,000 people, making it the largest marijuana-
reform event in the nation. This year's event will take
place on October 3 at the Boston Commons.
For more information about the rally, please contact Bill
Downing of Mass Cann NORML at (781) 944-2266.
***
6. Survey Finds American Teens Woefully Uninformed About
Government
A nationwide survey of 600 teens aged 13-17 found that they
were overwhelmingly, if unsurprisingly, uninformed about the
principles, makeup and history of the United States
Government. The poll, conducted by the National
Constitution Center and released this week (9/2/98), found
that fewer than two percent recognized James Madison as the
"father of the Constitution," that only two percent could
identify William Rehnquist as the Chief Justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court, only 25 percent could name any one of the
rights enumerated in the fifth amendment to the
Constitution, and that more than 25 percent could not name
Al Gore as the Vice President.
Eric Sterling, President of the Criminal Justice Policy
Foundation, told The Week Online, "It is enormously
dangerous, and in fact it should be alarming, that kids are
unaware of their government, and especially of the
constitutional principles guaranteeing their liberties. The
strength and the glory of the United States is the heritage
of freedom that we have inherited from the framers. The
fact is that if people are not aware of history, they run
the risk of having someone supply an alternative history to
them in pursuit of ends which would not otherwise be
acceptable."
Sterling continued, "In terms of the drug war, a survey like
this underscores the fraudulency of the whole "send a
message to our children" premise. In fact, I recall that
during the debate over congressional drug testing, it was
postulated that such a program would 'send a message to our
youth.' Such is the enormity of the hubris of our elected
representatives, assuming that once they pass a law the
public reacts. In fact, for the most part the public, and
especially kids, are not even aware that the government has
acted at all."
***
7. California State Senate Adjourns Without Taking Action on
Medical Marijuana Research Bill
SACRAMENTO, Sep. 1: Senator Vasconcellos' medical marijuana
research bill, SB 535, died as the result of a legislative
accident today, when the State Senate was adjourned
prematurely before the Assembly could finish business. SB
535 was on the floor of the Assembly and had a good shot at
passage, when Senate President John Burton announced he was
adjourning the State Senate early as part of a dispute with
the Assembly concerning other matters.
Medical marijuana backers were disappointed by the failure
of SB 535, although Gov. Wilson was expected to veto the
bill. They expect the bill will be re-introduced and signed
into law next year, since both leading candidates for
governor have announced their support for it.
For more information, contact California NORML at
(415) 563-5858 or e-mail canorml@igc.apc.org.
***
8. Afghani Opium Crop Grows Despite Taliban's Promises of
Eradication
According to The Independent, one of the United Kingdom's
largest daily newspapers, a forthcoming United Nations
report shows that new areas of Afghanistan are being used
for the cultivation of opium poppies, and that despite poor
weather conditions, next year's crop will be one of the
largest ever. The Taliban, who have gained control of over
90% of the country, had previously promised to eradicate
poppies in exchange for promises of economic aid from UN
"Drug Czar" Pino Arlacchi. (See our prior coverage at
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/021.html#taliban,
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/053.html#taliban, and
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/038.html#richardson, and
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/021.html#editorial.
***
9. EDITORIAL: From Ignorance to Tyranny
A poll released this week by the National Constitution
Center found that the vast majority of American young
people, aged 13-17, are woefully uninformed about their
government. This would be worrisome in any case, but in a
representative democracy whose leaders have shown over the
past several years a willingness to trade constitutional
principles for political expediency, it could well portend
disaster.
While nearly three of every four teens could identify Al
Gore as the Vice President, the same percentage could not
name even one right enumerated in the fifth amendment, and
only two percent of the 600 teens queried could identify
James Madison as the "father of the constitution" or William
Rehnquist as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The Constitution of the United States of America was written
for the purpose of limiting the power of government and
making it accountable to the governed. This notion, that
the governed ought be concerned with, and in control of, the
actions of government, was not predicated upon some set of
circumstances particular to the time; in fact it was based
upon a deep understanding of both human nature and power
itself. And the truths that applied then have not changed
in the intervening 200 years, nor are they likely to change
in the thousand to come.
But no constitution, nor any written protection against
tyranny no matter how old or how revered in the abstract,
can ever protect the inalienable rights of men and women
unless those men and women are watching closely over those
given the privilege of power. And in order to be watchful,
one must certainly understand that which is being watched.
Not just for a single generation, but for time immemorial.
It is therefore the sacred responsibility of each generation
to teach its successors not only about the primacy of
liberty and of the sacrifices made by their forefathers to
achieve it, but about the mechanisms of government itself
and of the terrifying ease with which that liberty, so hard
won, can be lost again.
But teaching citizens, much less teenagers, about the
inherent corruptibility of power and the dangers of allowing
it to operate outside of the strict supervision of the
governed, is not in the interest of those doing the
governing. And in case you are tempted to believe that I
overstate the case, or that I misjudge the character of
those whom we have elected, I invite you to try a little
experiment. Call your elected official, your congressional
representative will do nicely, and posit the following:
"Hello madam legislator, I am a member of your constituency
and I am troubled about my child's education in the public
school as it relates to the United States and its
government. I am a patriotic American you see, with a long
and proud family tradition of military service, and I want
very much to know if you believe that our young men and
women should be taught to trust, or to distrust our
government?"
Listen closely to the answer that you get. Is it the same
one that our founders would have given?
Our kids, the ones who cannot identify their constitutional
rights, are growing up in an America where, thanks largely
to the Drug War, such niceties are increasingly becoming
irrelevant. Drug-sniffing dogs roam their schools; curfew
laws forbid their appearance in public for all but a few
hours between the end of the school day and the onset of
night; doors are kicked in as a matter of course based upon
the flimsiest of evidence obtained from the shadiest of
characters; property is seized upon mere suspicion of
wrongdoing; private, consensual conduct is widely banned;
the military is deployed domestically; the chemical
composition of one's urine or blood or hair is the business
of the state; purveyors of the arts and of entertainment are
beseeched by the government to parrot the accepted ideology;
citizens who have never harmed a soul save themselves sit in
cages for long years with no discretion allowed the
sentencing judge; children are urged, directly and
indirectly, to turn in their parents; patients are forbidden
their choice of treatment, their doctors threatened, spied
upon and harassed; juries are forbidden from learning that
they have the right to disregard the law if they feel that
the outcome under its dictates would offend justice; and
politicians and bureaucrats continuously urge that we, the
people, give them even greater power so that they might
protect us from each other.
But who will protect us from them? The constitution is but
a yellowing piece of paper without a citizenry engaged and
informed enough to demand that its principles be adhered to.
Look where we are. And look at the ignorance of large
numbers of the generation to follow. Can we honestly say
that things will get better?
If the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, is the legacy
that we are leaving our children rich enough to afford it?
Or have we squandered the fortunes won and left to us by
generations before, leaving our progeny doomed to oppression
and want? Tyranny comes cheap. To earn it, one need only
turn away.
Adam J. Smith
Associate Director
***
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***
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SUBSCRIBE TO THIS LIST http://www.drcnet.org/signup.html
DRCNet HOME PAGE http://www.drcnet.org/
ONLINE LIBRARY http://www.druglibrary.org/
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to the 1998 Daily News index for September 3-9