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

Corrections budget turns toward crime prevention (The Oregonian
admits the biennial budget for Oregon corrections submitted
by Governor John "Prisons" Kitzhaber is up almost 21 percent
from the last biennium, but it characteristically refuses to print
the actual figure. Kitzhaber wants to save money by nullifying
the prisoner-work law passed by voters, but he won't rock the boat
by ignoring the older and more ridiculous laws that oblige the state
to spend more than $26 billion to lock up all the illegal-drug users
in Oregon.)

The Oregonian
letters to editor:
letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Fax: 503-294-4193
Web: http://www.oregonlive.com/

Corrections budget turns toward crime prevention

Wednesday, December 2 1998

By Michelle Roberts
of The Oregonian staff

A windfall for juvenile crime prevention, a disappointment for the Oregon
State Police and a gouge to the program charged with putting the state's
prisoners to work is contained in Gov. John Kitzhaber's proposed budget.

The proposal would grant $30 million to finance the High Risk Juvenile Crime
Prevention Partnership, staffed by the state Criminal Justice Commission.
Under the program, $19 million would go directly to counties to target
high-risk children in an effort to "keep our children out of trouble in the
first place," Kitzhaber said. "This would give each county the ability to
develop its own strategy."

The governor also vowed to seek an additional $20 million for alcohol and
drug prevention and $7 million for early childhood intervention.

The strong focus on prevention coincided with a shift away from heavy
funding for the Oregon Department of Corrections. In a move Kitzhaber called
"controversial," general fund support for inmate work programs would be cut
from $14.4 million to $9 million.

The reduction would cut 40 work crew supervisors, reducing the number of
inmates who could work outside prison walls. Kitzhaber acknowledged the cut
would reduce compliance with Measure 17, a constitutional amendment
overwhelmingly approved by voters four years ago that ordered all eligible
inmates to work.

Kitzhaber said he would not propose additional general funds to support
inmate work until the Legislature addresses how much and for how long the
measure should be subsidized. Measure backers had anticipated the program
would be self-supporting. Kitzhaber also expressed concern that inmate work
was hurting private business by creating competition for jobs.

The overall corrections budget request increased almost 21 percent from the
last biennium to cover inflation and prison expansion. But some projects,
including construction of a women's prison and intake center at the former
Dammasch State Hospital in Wilsonville, were delayed.

"It's a no-frills budget, but we can certainly live with it," said Jim
Lockwood, a spokesman for the Corrections Department.

Kitzhaber amended his campaign budget, which promised 100 new troopers to
patrol Oregon roadways, offering only 25 new trooper positions to the agency.

"This is not adequate," Kitzhaber said. "My intention is that when we come
out of the legislative session, the numbers will be significantly higher."

Kitzhaber also said he would support moving the Oregon State Police budget
to the highway trust fund, where more money would be available. That would
require voters to amend the state constitution.

State Police had requested 220 new troopers after it conducted a resource
gap analysis showing that the agency was short more than 500 troopers.

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

Sonny Bono (Three letters to the editor of The Los Angeles Times
comment on allegations by the widow of the late Congressman and pop singer
that his death may have been attributable to his abuse of prescription
painkillers.)

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 16:59:03 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: PUB LTE: (3) Sonny Bono....
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Jim Rosenfield
Pubdate: December 2, 1998
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Contact: letters@latimes.com
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Fax: 213-237-4712
Copyright: 1998 Los Angeles Times.
Author: (1) JIM ROSENFIELD, (2) PHILLIP SHELTON, (3) ROBERT SCHMIDT

SONNY BONO

Regarding the sad death of Sonny Bono and the revelation that he had a
secret problem with addiction (Nov. 20), perhaps he would be alive now if he
could have been more open
about the problem.

In contrast to his youthful persona, Bono showed his intelligence and
competence as a congressman, powers he could have brought to bear on his
problem, if he did not have to hide from the hysterical zero-tolerance
regime. In a climate of compassion, he could have sought help, possibly
avoiding his collision with the reality of our shame-based attitude toward
drugs. No amount of punishment and prison is going to solve the real
problem, and we now have one of the world's highest incarceration rates,
mostly for drug "crimes."

JIM ROSENFIELD Culver City

***

Never did I think that I would come to the defense of Sonny Bono. For
30 years the poor guy suffers pain from a bad back, then he center
punches a tree and is killed. Then his wife disses him in death. What
was he supposed to do about his bad back for 30 years?

PHILLIP SHELTON Redondo Beach

***

So Bono may have been on drugs when he died. And his mood swings were
so bad his wife almost left him. So much for the pundits who called
him an American hero and the incarnation of the Founding Fathers.

ROBERT SCHMIDT
Culver City

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

The Main Thing (An emotional staff editorial in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
recommends that parents ignore calls for drug policy reform. Kids are dying
of heroin, so we have to ratchet up the drug war even more - as if that's
worked in the past.)

From: adbryan@ONRAMP.NET
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 08:36:41 -0600 (CST)
Subject: EDITORIAL: The Main Thing
To: "DRCTalk Reformers' Forum" (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Cc: editor@mapinc.org
Reply-To: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: owner-drctalk@drcnet.org

Try to keep your tone civil when responding to this
editorial. We do have an ally or two at this paper.

The DPFT-L list has had a discussion over the use
of the "L" word. For newbies to these lists or for
those who have not read it, I highly recommend Cliff
Schaffer's "Persuasive Strategies." Read what is said
there and adapt it to your style.

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/ACTIVIST/persuas.htm

***

12-2-98
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.startelegram.com
letters@startelegram.com

The Main Thing

Star-Telegram editorial

It comes as a surprise -- a jarring surprise.

It comes just when the message is sinking in with parents
across the Metroplex that there is an alarming problem of
young people using very dangerous drugs. Many of these
young people are dying from heroin overdoses.

It comes just when parents decide to act. They are worried,
yet determined to protect their families. They go to public
forums sponsored by police and school officials to learn
more about the problem, the drugs, and how to talk to their
kids about the terrible dangers of drug abuse.

Then comes the surprise: Someone stands up at the forum
to voice a very different message -- that people should have
more open access to drugs. That the fight against currently
illegal drugs is futile. That drug use should be "decriminalized"
and treated as a medical issue, not a police matter.

It's a message from a group with a political goal -- a radical
change in our current fight against drugs -- and its first hurdle
is to get attention. The group has chosen to try to draw notice
by speaking out at gatherings of people who have become
alarmed at the extent of drug abuse in our communities.

The shock should not get in the way of the fight. The effort to
decriminalize drugs is but a sideshow. It should not distract
parents from the main event: We have to find ways to keep
dangerous drugs out of our kids' hands. The way we do that
is to come to know the problem that we face: that there are
drugs in our communities that are killers. We have to get our
kids to realize the danger and the waste of precious human
energy brought on by drug abuse.

It's not a matter of criminal or decriminal. It's a matter of life
and death.

Send your comments to letters@star-telegram.com

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

Drug War (Another staff editorial in The Forth Worth Star-Telegram
says the attempt to mount a coordinated police effort against drug traffic
across Northeast Tarrant County, Texas, is crumbling. It still exists,
but only a handful of communities are participating. The problem
isn't money - it's people.)

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 08:00:48 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US TX: Editorial: Drug War
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: DrugSense
Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX)
Copyright: 1998 Star-Telegram
Pubdate: Wed, 2 Dec 1998
Section: Star-Telegram editorial
Contact: letters@star-telegram.com
Website: http://www.star-telegram.com/

DRUG WAR

The attempt to mount a coordinated police effort against drug traffic
across Northeast Tarrant County is crumbling. It still exists, but only a
handful of communities are participating. And just when the drug world is
growing stronger and claiming more victims, the agency that was put
together to lead drug law enforcement in our communities has gotten weaker.

The Northeast Tarrant County Drug Task Force is part of the 11-year-old
Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence and Coordination Unit. It was set up
to unite drug-fighting efforts by police in 11 cities: Bedford,
Colleyville, Euless, Grapevine, Haltom City, Hurst, Keller, North Richland
Hills, Richland Hills, Southlake and Watauga.

Three other federal and state drug task forces are in the area, but the
Northeast Tarrant County unit has been expected to lead most area drug
investigations.

Support for the unit has dwindled. The problem is not money -- that comes
mostly from grants -- but people. Only six cities -- Bedford, Euless,
Grapevine, Haltom City, Hurst and Watauga -- have officers assigned to the
unit, giving it six full-time investigators working cases in the 11-city area.

North Richland Hills this week withdrew the officer it had assigned to the
unit, deciding instead to set up a three-officer drug fighting team within
its own police force.

Drug traffic in Northeast Tarrant County does not respect city limits. It
is essential that police efforts against it be coordinated, with
information shared and no duplication of effort. The Northeast Tarrant
County Drug Task Force could provide that coordination. If that is not to
be, then area police officials must unite to find a better way.

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

Alcohol And Ignorance (A letter to the editor of The Times Journal,
in Cobleskill, New York, notes the Partnership for a Drug-Free America
and the White House drug czar's office focus their advertising dollars
on marijuana, which never killed anyone. Meanwhile, they ignore the harm
to young people attributable to ignorance about alcohol. For example,
Michigan State University student Bradley McCue recently died on his 21st
birthday from acute alcohol poisoning, after drinking 24 shots of liquor
in less than two hours.)

Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 18:21:38 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US NY: PUB LTE: Alcohol And Ignorance
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Pubdate: 2 Dec 1998
Source: Times Journal (Cobleskill, NY)
FAX: 518-234-7898

ALCOHOL AND IGNORANCE

Recently, Michigan State University student Bradley McCue, who was
celebrating his 21st birthday, died from acute alcohol poisoning after
drinking 24 shots of liquor in less than two hours.

Bradley McCue may have been poisoned by alcohol, but it was ignorance that
killed him.

The Partnership for a Drug Free America is well aware that alcohol is the
most widely tried drug among teenagers, but their numerous anti-drug
advertisements are fixated on marijuana.

Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey acknowledges that "alcohol is . . . responsible for
more damage in our society than any other drug on the street," But, the
Office of National Drug Control Policy prefers to demonize adult marijuana
use, while ignoring teenage boozers.

Junior and senior high school students drink 35 percent of all wine coolers
sold in the U.S.; they also consume 1.1 billion cans of beer. 87 percent of
high school seniors have used alcohol; in comparison, 63 percent have
smoked cigarettes; 32 percent have used marijuana, and only 6 percent have
used cocaine. Alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents are the leading
cause of death and disability among American teenagers.

In 1998 Congress gave the ONDCP and the Partnership for a Drug Free America
$195 million to run a new national anti-drug media campaign -- a campaign
that conspicuously avoids mentioning alcohol. In 1998 Bradley McCue died
from an over dose of alcohol because he didn't know it was a dangerous
drug. Ignorance kills. And so do political agendas.

Walter F. Wouk - president NORML in Schoharie

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

Groups Seek Results of Marijuana Vote (According to The Washington Post,
The District of Columbia chapter of the League of Women Voters and eight
other local organizations filed friend-of-the-court briefs this week
in support of the ACLU's lawsuit asking a federal judge to release
and uphold the results of DC's Nov. 3 referendum on the medical use
of marijuana.)

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 13:09:48 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US DC: Groups Seek Results of Marijuana Vote
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: Washington Post (DC)
Contact: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Copyright: 1998 The Washington Post Company
Pubdate: Wed, 2 Dec 1998
Compiled from reports by staff writers Paul W. Valentine, Bill Miller,
David Montgomery, Alan Sipress, Philip P. Pan and Victoria Benning and the
Associated Press.

THE DISTRICT

GROUPS SEEK RESULTS OF MARIJUANA VOTE

The D.C. chapter of the League of Women Voters and eight other area
organizations filed court papers this week calling for a judge to release
and uphold the results of the Nov. 3 referendum on the medical use of
marijuana.

The groups sided with the American Civil Liberties Union and the D.C.
government, which contend that Congress illegally interfered with the local
election process. At issue is a congressional amendment that bars the
District from spending money on any initiative that would "legalize or
otherwise reduce" penalties for users of marijuana.

D.C. officials have not released results of the marijuana vote, saying that
the amendment prevents them from spending money to do so. Along with the
ACLU, they are asking U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts to set aside
the congressional action and let results be made public and take effect.

The organizations opposing the congressional amendment include: the D.C.
Democratic State Committee; the D.C. Statehood Party; the Metropolitan
Washington Council of the AFL-CIO; the D.C. Chapter of the Republican
National African-American Council; the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance;
the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club; the Libertarian National Committee; and
the Greater Washington chapter of Americans for Democratic Action.

The Justice Department, which agreed to represent Congress, filed its own
set of court papers asking Roberts to dismiss the lawsuit.

Late Activist Honored for AIDS Day

The D.C. Council passed a resolution yesterday honoring Steve Michael, the
founder of the local chapter of ACT-UP, an AIDS activist group, who died in
May.

David Catania (R-At Large), who introduced the resolution, said it was
fitting on World AIDS Day to honor the activist. Michael, who had AIDS, was
also a leader in home rule demonstrations and launched the petition drive
that succeeded in getting a medical marijuana initiative on the Nov. 3
ballot, although Congress passed a law forbidding the District to fund the
provision.

Wayne Turner, Michael's partner, said in remarks before the council that
the "best way to honor the dead is to fight for the living," and he urged
the council to support measures to slow the spread of AIDS.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Only a few years ago, it was a forest filled with drugs and anger. From
the ghetto to compared to right now, I know I am stretching it, but it is
like Beverly Hills."

-- Shawn Johnson, who lived at Montana Terrace for nearly 20 years, on
renovations to the D.C. Housing Authority project. -- Page B1

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

So Much For 'The Will Of The People' (An op-ed in The San Diego Union Tribune
by former Congressman Lionel Van Deerlin recounts the recent electoral
victories for medical marijuana patients, taking note of the fear shared
by many conservatives that marijuana usage is a first step on the path
to perdition. Yet what became of the earlier concern among conservatives
to get government off the backs of the people?)

Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 11:53:45 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Correction: OPED: So Much For `The Will Of The People'
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Richard Lake for The Media Awareness Project
Pubdate: Wed, 02 Dec 1998
Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)
Contact: letters@uniontrib.com
Website: http://www.uniontrib.com/
Copyright: 1998 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Author: Lionel Van Deerlin
Note: Van Deerlin represented a San Diego County district in Congress for
18 years.
Note: When originally posted this item was identified as an editorial. It
is an OPED item, authored as above. Thanks to the reader and newshawk that
called the error to our attention. rlake@mapinc.org

SO MUCH FOR 'THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE'

It went almost unnoticed in the larger scheme of things in this election
season. But on Nov. 3, three more states -- Washington, Nevada and Alaska
-- voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal use. And in two other states
plus the District of Columbia, voters faced down government officials who
questioned the right of citizens to decide this issue for themselves.

Arizona voters found medical marijuana on their ballot in a second
successive election. They had given approval only two years ago (along with
California) to legalize the drug upon a doctor's prescription. So why this
second statewide proposition? It was to bar the state Legislature from
voiding that prior vote.

A similar challenge faced people in Oregon. They resoundingly rejected a
legislative move to restore criminal penalties for possessing marijuana --
even as prescribed to ease suffering.

For District of Columbia residents, who are still wards of the federal
government, the conflict with authority was drawn even more sharply. Under
orders from Congress, District officials were barred from tabulating the
votes in a local referendum empowering physicians to recommend pot smoking
for patients with certain illnesses.

We are all aware of the fear shared by many conservatives -- that marijuana
usage is not only unwise but a first step along the path to perdition. Yet
what ever became of an earlier concern among conservatives? As I recall,
this was to get government off the backs of the American people.

The mantra went like this: On matters like abortion, gun control or school
prayer, faceless bureaucrats and liberal judges think they know better than
the rest of us. The convictions of ordinary folk are disregarded. It
remained for Ronald Reagan, no less, to enshrine that aphorism about
removing government from our backs.

So why can't we let the medical profession prescribe freely to ease the
unpleasantness of illnesses ranging from epilepsy and multiple sclerosis to
several forms of cancer?

Though it finds backing in respectable medical circles, this approach runs
afoul of a national drug enforcement policy that has remained in place
through successive administrations of both parties. The policy persists
despite its demonstrated failure to quell the public appetite for a range
of drugs far more devastating than pot.

A trio of public servants starting with William Bennett have accepted the
oddly un-American designation, "drug czar." These otherwise fine men all
have been longer on rhetoric than on the sort of results expected of czars.
Their only comparison with Ivan the Terrible has been the vast number of
U.S. citizens who continue to jam our prisons -- nearly half of them on
drug-related offenses.

Marijuana as medicine? Our incumbent czar, Barry McCaffrey, has responded
pretty much as we'd expect of a czar -- or as the retired Army general,
which he is, in defense of a discredited battle plan. When voters in
California enacted Proposition 215 two years ago, McCaffrey's reaction was
to threaten federal prosecution of any doctors who might feel emboldened
thereafter to recommend marijuana as a palliative.

Although quickly overruled in court, McCaffrey has persisted in his
campaign to keep federal law supreme. He dismisses clinical evidence that
pot smoking in certain cases could constitute good medicine. His uncertain
trumpet continues to be sounded in the face of favorable reports from a
number of professional sources and an outright endorsement of the drug's
efficacy by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Czar McCaffrey laces his public utterances with dire warnings that even a
limited use of marijuana for health purposes sends the wrong message to the
nation's youth. We are left to wonder what success he attaches to earlier
messages that have failed to deter the spread of pot smoking among school
kids as early as the elementary level.

Numerous lesser officials have fallen in line. In moving to close a Bay
Area center where marijuana was being dispensed as medicine, state Attorney
General Dan Lungren may have earned credit with conservatives, but it
obviously made no points in his failed campaign for governor.

The arrogance of state officials out West was topped only by the
congressional action against D.C. residents. Exit polling disclosed that
possibly 80 percent of them had voted in support of medical marijuana. But
their views on this may remain an official secret. Why?

On motion of Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., a member of the House Judiciary
subcommittee on crime, Congress had inserted a proviso in its catchall
pre-election appropriations bill asserting that no funds therein could be
expended "to carry out any ballot initiative that would legalize drugs or
reduce penalties for drug use, possession or sale."

A word to the wise. The D.C. Board of Elections & Ethics ordered that votes
on the marijuana proposition be set aside, uncounted.

Last time anything like this was visited on Congressman Barr's Atlanta-area
populace, it was by Northern carpetbaggers swarming in behind Gen. Sherman.

The bottom line: Doctors today are free to prescribe highly addictive
morphine, but not a milder drug that conservatives appear to fear most. And
never mind what a majority of Americans say every time the issue is put to
a vote.

Get government off our backs? Ha.

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

Makeshift Methamphetamine Labs Spreading In N. Texas (A ludicrous piece
of drug-warrior fear-mongering in The Dallas Morning News says crank cooks
in northern Texas are whipping up batches of methamphetamine using a method
once employed by Adolf Hitler's Nazis - but it's hard to imagine "nomadic"
hordes of uniformed SS troopers hitting "large discount stores" to stock up on
cold remedies containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, automobile starter
fluid, drain cleaner, denatured alcohol, and other over-the-counter products.
North Central Texas Narcotics Task Force Investigator Dan Coltrain is quoted
saying the drug is so addictive that "Once it's got you, it's got you. I've
never worked with anyone who's gotten off. They always go back to it.")

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 10:01:06 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US TX: Makeshift Methamphetamine Labs Spreading In N. Texas
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: adbryan@onramp.net
Pubdate: Wed, 2 Dec 1998
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Contact: letterstoeditor@dallasnews.com
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Copyright: 1998 The Dallas Morning News
Author: Curtis Howell / The Dallas Morning News

MAKESHIFT METHAMPHETAMINE LABS SPREADING IN N. TEXAS

Quicker than you can cook and cool a pecan pie, drug-makers can whip up a
batch of methamphetamine using a method once employed by Adolf Hitler's
Nazis.

They concoct the drug - the same one used to keep German troops alert during
World War II - from raw materials available at most any large discount
store.

And they complicate capture by doing it in two hours or less in a moving car
or boat, a hotel room or a campsite in the woods.

Lately, authorities say, these illicit operations - some call them Beavis
and Butthead labs - are popping up with more frequency in North Texas,
particularly Denton and Wise counties.

But so far neither Dallas police nor Collin County authorities have reported
finding any of the makeshift labs.

"We're crossing our fingers," said Chief Deputy Rick Allen of the Collin
County Sheriff's Department. "We don't think we are bulletproof, and we are
keeping an eye on it."

Denton County Sheriff's Lt. Richard Mankoff, who heads the North Central
Texas Narcotics Task Force, said the first documented Nazi-type operation
appeared in California about a decade ago.

The nomadic manufacturers started showing up not long ago in southern
Missouri and have spread to Arkansas, Oklahoma and North and East Texas,
said Special Agent Paul Villaescusa with the Drug Enforcement
Administration.

Lt. Mankoff said the problem mushroomed locally in the last year after a man
taught the method to others for $5,000 per lesson.

"They are also finding the recipe on the Internet," he said.

Mr. Villaescusa and other police officials said one key to busting the
drug-makers is cooperation from retailers.

Typically, those making the drug known as crystal, crank or meth will buy
large quantities of cold remedies containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine,
automobile starter fluid, drain cleaner, denatured alcohol and other
over-the-counter products.

Lt. Mankoff said most retailers don't realize that buyers of large
quantities of seemingly innocent materials could be using them to make
illegal drugs.

The Wal-Mart chain has bent over backward to help, he said. Wal-Mart stores
videotape certain areas of the store for authorities, he said, and have
limited the quantities of ephedrine-bearing medicines they will sell.

One case of the cold medication can be turned into a pound of drug that will
fetch about $15,000 on Dallas streets, police said. Larger-volume
operations, mostly in California and Mexico, take days to manufacture a
batch of the highly addictive substances.

Lewisville Investigator Dan Coltrain, who works with the North Central Texas
Narcotics Task Force, said users have told him that the drug from the Nazi
recipe takes effect sooner and gives more of a rush.

It's also highly addictive.

"Once it's got you, it's got you," he said. "I've never worked with anyone
who's gotten off. They always go back to it."

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

Rockers Play For Pot On 'Hempilation II' (An upbeat review by UPI
notes "Hempilation," a 1995 music compilation, raised more than $90,000
for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Now comes
"Hempilation 2 - freetheweed," released just after the recent election.
It's more varied then the first album, and includes country, hip-hop
and reggae along with rock.)

Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 14:21:57 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: WIRE: Rockers Play For Pot On 'Hempilation II'
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: General Pulaski
Source: United Press International
Website: http://www.hightimes.com/
Copyright: 1998 United Press International
Author: JOHN SWENSON
Pubdate: Wed, 2 Dec 1998

ROCKERS PLAY FOR POT ON 'HEMPILATION II'

UPI Arts & Entertainment - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

Popular musicians have been writing songs about marijuana throughout the
20th century, from the big-band ``viper'' music of Louis Armstrong and Cab
Calloway's celebration of the ``Reefer Man'' to the pot anthems of
late-1960s San Francisco rockers Country Joe and the Fish and the Jefferson
Airplane.

In 1995 the editors of ``High Times'' magazine recruited current rockers to
contribute to a benefit album supporting the review and reform of
legislation governing the growth and use of cannabis for its medical,
industrial and recreational use. The album, ``Hempilation,'' sold more than
110,000 units, a remarkable figure for a benefit album, and raised more than
$90,000 for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana
Laws.

The project was so successful, in fact, that it led to a sequel,
``Hempilation 2 - freetheweed,'' which was released just after the recent
mid-term election, in which several medical marijuana initiatives and
pro-legalization candidates were voted in.

The cast on ``Hempilation 2'' is more varied then the first album, including
country, hip-hop and reggae along with rock.

Country superstar Willie Nelson, a benefit veteran whose own annual event in
support of American farmers, ``Farm Aid,'' has become a fixture, contributed
his ballad about travelling around the country as an outsider with his
drummer, Paul English, ``Me and Paul.'' The version included here was
recorded live in Amsterdam, the worldwide center for cannabis connoisseurs.

``There's nobody alive that doesn't know how I feel about marijuana,'' said
Nelson. ``It's just so ridiculous that a product with that many uses has to
be made into a political thing. It's a shame. Not only could our farmers pay
their bills and get out of debt, but this whole country would find a new way
to environmentally protect ourselves by getting rid of all these
petrochemicals that are killing us.''

At the opposite end of the spectrum from Nelson, the album includes the
hilarious spoof by funk veteran George Clinton, ``U.S. Custom Coast Guard
Dope Dog,'' a tale that recounts the unintended benefits dope dogs derive
from their job.

``When they have to pay $4 billion for the drug war,'' somebody gets that,``
said one Clinton who definitely did inhale. ''Drugs are incidental in
this.``

The issue takes on a very personal note with singer-songwriter Vic
Chesnutt's contribution, ``Weed to the Rescue.'' Chesnutt, who was paralyzed
in a car accident over a decade ago and performs in a wheelchair, is an
outspoken advocate for the benefits of medical marijuana.

``I just needed to go on the record as saying we must change the laws,'' he
said. ``I hate being a criminal. I use marijuana for medical purposes and
creativity. I use it sometimes if I have writers's block. That's medicinal
too.''

Mike Watt, leader of the legendary alternative rockers The Minutemen,
assembled an interesting cast including bassist Charlie Haden's daughter
Petra on vocals and drummer Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction, to record
the otherwordly ``Sidemousin' The Bong.''

``I want to be able to farm my own small crop for my personal use without
having to be criminalized for it,'' said Watt. ``I want the same trust the
government has in my using alcohol responsibly to be extended to mota.''

One of the hottest tracks on the album is a remake of the Humble Pie classic
``30 Days in the Hole,'' from the album ``Smokin','' done here by the band
that has redefined the power trio concept in the 1990s, Gov't Mule. Ex-Black
Crowes guitarist Marc Ford sits in on this burning tribute to the late Steve
Marriot.

``We had a lot of fun making that one,'' said Govt. Mule guitarist and
vocalist Warren Haynes. ``The song describes an extreme situation, but when
we got into the studio with our friend from Big Sugar, Gordie Johnson,
producing, the vibe was right and the result speaks for itself.

``NORML is a just cause,'' Haynes insisted. ``It's ridiculous in this day
and age for somebody to be going to jail for smoking pot or possessing a
little pot.''

Big Sugar, a popular Canadian rock band, has been a longtime supporter of
the cause. The band contributed a cover of Paul McCartney's ``Let Me Roll
It'' to the project.

``I'm seeking to get a permit from a provincial government to grow hemp as a
textile crop,'' said Big Sugar leader Gordie Johnson. ``You can't get high
on hemp. You'd have to smoke a joint the size of a telephone pole. That's a
lot of hemp.''

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

Germany Is Not Punishing Hashish Users (A translation of an article
from Svenska Dagbladet, in Sweden, notes the new German government,
formed by a coalition of the Social Democrats and the Green Party,
is implementing new harm-reduction policies, in agreement that the hardline
policies of the previous Kohl government have failed.)

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 17:05:13 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Sweden: Germany Is Not Punishing Hashish Users
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Mike Gray (hmgray@ix.netcom.com)
Pubdate: Wed, 02 Dec 1998
Source: Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden)
Contact: brevred@svd.se
Website: http://www.svd.se/svd/ettan/dagens/index.html
Copyright: 1998 SvD

GERMANY IS NOT PUNISHING HASHISH USERS

Svenska Dagbladet, November 29.

Germany who has for a long time been in the European forefront with a
strict and inflexible drug policy is now turning toward a softer approach.
Under its new government shall even heavy users of heroin be able to obtain
the narcotic under prescription. "The German Government shall naturally not
sell heroin. But we must realize that there are a small group of users that
do not accept methadone. Those must have legal access to the real thing"
says the Minister of Public Health, Environmentalist Andrea Fischer.

The German Government is therefore asking the equivalent of FDA to approve
a pilot program allowing local communities to start heroin dispensing
programs. Under the pilot program users will receive daily doses under
condition that they participate in special therapeutic sessions. Already in
place in several large German cities are "shooting galleries" where users
can obtain clean utensils for injecting drugs. Frankfurt has four such
galleries which are used daily by hundreds of addicts.

The proposed program is at the moment in a legal and political limbo,
tolerated and condoned by the Prosecutor General, but still forbidden on
paper. The Bonn Government is now preparing legislation which will allow
all these programs. Minister of Public Health, Andrea Fischer also wants to
de-dramatize the consumption of marijuana and hashish. Persons discovered
with these drugs for personal consumption shall not be prosecuted. This is
already a facts in several of Germany's Bundesrepubliks but not all. The
Government wants the more liberal view to be a national policy.

"Cannabis is naturally not harmless" says the Minister "But it should be
compared to alcohol. Users here who are responsible and only drink a half
glass or so every evening have no problems."

In the recent election campaign the Environmental Party argued for a
complete legalization of hashish and marijuana for users over the age of
sixteen. The Social Democrats refused to allow this platform when the
Government was formed.

The Social Democrats do, however, also agree that the hard policy of the
previous Kohl government has failed. "Zero Tolerance" is a term that sounds
nice but doesn't help the problem according to the SPD experts who point
out that the number of addicts has remained stable for many years.

In Germany there are today between 100,000 - 150,000 users of heavy drugs
and if ecstasy is included approximately twice this number. The number of
fatal drug overdoses was last year approximately 1,500 a reduction from
2,000 eight years ago. At the same time the number of alcoholics is
estimated at 2,3 Million with 40,000 fatalities annually.

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

DrugSense Weekly, No. 76 (The weekly summary of drug policy news leads
with a feature article by Mike Gray, author of "Drug Crazy" - Medical
marijuana initiatives shift the front of the drug war. The Weekly News in
Review includes such Drug War Policy articles as - On the web - a virtual
breeze comes to Washington; The San Francisco Examiner editorial, Pro Bono;
Rep. Bono gets burned for honesty; Drug policy is sound, despite what Molly
Ivins may think. Law Enforcement & Prison articles include - Prison shootings
unjustified; Prison tour doesn't sway lawmakers; Feds sought bigger drug deal
to ensure a stiffer prison term; and Double standard on drug sentences.
International News articles include - Black passengers targeted in Pearson
searches?; Mexico seizes three hotels from drug cartel; Australia - Uphill
struggle on trail of record heroin bust; 55 percent of smuggled cocaine world
wide being transported by express services; Swiss voters block bid to
legalize narcotics; Dutch to extend free heroin hand-outs to addicts; Drugs -
cacophony in the European Union. Hot Off The 'Net publicizes a CD recording,
From the mouths of drug war prisoners; New Republic ads by Common Sense for
Drug Policy. The Quote of the Week features Tacitus. Plus Special Notices,
including an interview with Jane Marcus, "NewsHawk of the Month," and thanks
to DrugSense DrugNews Screeners Don Beck and Kevin Fansler.)

Date: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 11:42:30 -0800
To: mgreer@mapinc.org
From: Mark Greer (MGreer@mapinc.org)
Subject: DrugSense Weekly, December 2, 1998 No. 76

***

DRUGSENSE WEEKLY

***

DrugSense Weekly, December 2, 1998, No. 76

A DrugSense publication

This newsletter may be read on-line at:
http://www.drugsense.org/dsw/1998/ds98.n76.html

Please consider sending a letter to the editor responding to any of the
important articles below. The Email address is provided for most newspapers.

***

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

* Feature Article

Medical marijuana initiatives shift the front of the drug war
By Mike Gray - Author "Drug Crazy"

* Weekly News in Review

Drug War Policy-

On The Web: A Virtual Breeze Comes to Washington
San Francisco Examiner Editorial: Pro Bono
Rep. Bono Gets Burned for Honesty
Drug Policy is Sound, Despite What Molly Ivins May Think

Law Enforcement & Prisons-

Prison Shootings Unjustified
Prison Tour Doesn't Sway Lawmakers
Feds Sought Bigger Drug Deal to Ensure a Stiffer Prison Term
Double Standard on Drug Sentences

International News-

Black Passengers Targeted in Pearson Searches?
Mexico Seizes Three Hotels From Drug Cartel
Australia: Uphill Struggle on Trail of Record Heroin Bust
55% Of Smuggled Cocaine World Wide Being Transported by Express Services
Swiss Voters Block Bid to Legalize Narcotics
Dutch to Extend Free Heroin Hand-Outs to Addicts
Drugs: Cacophony In The European Union

* Hot Off The 'Net

CD Recording From the Mouths of Drug War Prisoners
New Republic Ads by Common Sense for Drug Policy

* Quote of the Week

Tacitus

* Special Notices

Interview with Jane Marcus "NewsHawk of the Month"
Thanks to DrugNews Screeners - Don Beck and Kevin Fansler

***

FEATURE ARTICLE

***

Medical marijuana initiatives shift the front of the drug war
By Mike Gray Author "Drug Crazy"

The earthquake that rocked the Republican Party this month also jolted
the foundations of another prominent ideological temple: the federal
drug war establishment.

In nine separate ballots in six states and the District of Columbia,
voters ignored the advice of former presidents and high government
officials, opting instead for the most significant challenge to drug
war orthodoxy since President Jimmy Carter called on Congress to
decriminalize marijuana in 1977.

For 25 years, the government has maintained that marijuana is so
dangerous we couldn't even talk about it. Now the issue is on the
table, like it or not, and if it turns out that marijuana is a medicine
instead of the devil's handmaiden, public support for arresting
nonmedical users will begin to erode.

Over the strenuous objection of politicians and lawmakers of every
persuasion, voters in Alaska, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon,
Washington state and the District of Columbia decided that it's OK for
sick people to smoke marijuana. As if to make sure the message was
understood, several of the most outspoken foes of medical marijuana had
their hats handed to them on a platter. California Attorney General Dan
Lungren battled tooth and nail against this idea when his fellow
Californians kicked off the revolt two years ago, but he found himself
cast as the heavy in a war against cancer patients. It contributed to
the ultimately fatal image problems of his gubernatorial campaign.

The drug warriors clearly understand this is a defining moment, but
they are in a tight spot. Two years ago, Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the
White House drug czar, led a frontal attack on California's
medical-marijuana initiative, Proposition 215 ("Cheech and Chong
medicine," he called it), but his take-no-prisoners assault apparently
backfired, and it passed with room to spare.

This time McCaffrey maintained a lower profile, avoiding any direct
engagement with the other side. Though he lost every battle in the
anti-marijuana campaign, he did manage to keep the war off the front
page.

The urgency of this confrontation for both sides is demonstrated by the
back-door effort to keep the issue from even coming to a vote wherever
possible. When medical marijuana qualified for the ballot in the
District of Columbia, North Carolina Sen. Lauch Faircloth said, "I'd do
anything I could to block it," and he did. But even taking the
unprecedented step of forbidding local officials from counting the
votes could not keep the lid on. Exit polls showed that the initiative
had been approved in D.C. by a ratio of 2 to 1. So the issue will
undoubtedly return to the nation's capital, but Faircloth will not. He
lost to a moderate Democrat.

Officials in Colorado similarly tried to prevent a vote on that state's
medical-marijuana initiative. At the last minute, they decided that the
measure had not qualified even though the initiative already was on the
ballot. But the voters voted anyway, and medical marijuana finished
with a 14-point lead.

In states in which the vote was unimpeded, the spread was even more
impressive. Washington state's medical-marijuana initiative not only
won by a landslide, it also led in every county -- which means that
every member of the Washington congressional delegation from Spokane to
Cape Flattery is from a district that voted for medical marijuana.

But nowhere was the battle more clearly drawn than in Arizona. Two
years ago, 65 percent of Arizona voters passed a medical-marijuana
initiative -- only to have it thrown back in their faces by the state
legislature. Under pressure from the White House, the state nullified
the will of the voters.

Officials convinced themselves that the public had been duped by clever
advertising. But you don't stiff 65 percent of the electorate without
paying a price down the line, and this time the voters not only
underscored their original intention, they also passed a second law
that severely trimmed the legislature's power to do anything about it.
This time there was no talk about who had been duped.

The long-term problem for the drug warriors was most visible in the
erosion of support in the state of Oregon. Medical marijuana wasn't the
main issue there. Possession of an ounce or less has been virtually
legal since 1973. But the state legislature, in a classic misreading
of the public mood, decided to outlaw the weed once and for all. They
placed a measure on the ballot that would have restored criminal
penalties for any amount of marijuana, and it went down in flames, 2-1.

The aftershocks from these votes could have profound implications for
the future of the drug war itself. As author Dan Baum noted in his 1996
critique, Smoke and Mirrors, if you take marijuana out of the equation,
the number of so-called serious drug users drops from 13 million to 3
million, and the drug war shrinks from a cabinet-level jihad to a
sideshow.

To maintain its $50-billion-a-year effort, the government must defeat
medical marijuana at all costs. The current strategy is to ignore these
storm clouds and hope they blow away. But if this latest referendum is
a clue, they will have to stick their heads in the sand more deeply.

Editors Note: This Op Ed was originally published Friday, Nov. 27, 1998
in the Philadelphia Inquirer (PA)

Other editorials by Mike Gray may be found at:
http://www.drugsense.org/crazy.htm

***

WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW

***

Drug War Policy-

***

COMMENT:

Those who ask if drug reform advocacy on the Internet has an impact on
the real world received an answer from Sam Vincent Meddis in USA
Today. Although he misspelled Dave Borden's name, Meddis accurately
described the activities of Lindesmith Center, DrugSense, and DRCNet.

A VIRTUAL BREEZE COMES TO WASHINGTON

One of the real nice things about working at USA TODAY is the view.

From my cube on the 22nd floor of the company's tower in Arlington,
Va., I'm afforded what can only be described as a spectacular panorama
of Washington, D.C.

What I like best is that on a clear day you can almost see the hot air
rising from the various government buildings there.

[snip]

But it seems to me that nothing has caused more sustained government
hot air than the so-called drug war. Now thanks to the Internet, a cool
breeze may be moving in.

[snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 24 Nov 1998
Source: USA Today (US)
Contact: editor@usatoday.com
Website: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nfront.htm
Copyright: 1998 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Author: Sam Vincent Meddis, USA TODAY
USA Today technology site http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/cc.htm
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1075.a10.html

***

COMMENT:

The impact of our efforts is also evident from the following lead
editorial in the Nov. 22 San Francisco Examiner- an excoriation of
drug policy which would have been unthinkable two years ago. It's
ironic that Mary Bono, was forced to publicly regret her refreshing
candor, almost before the ink was dry.

PRO BONO

When Sonny's Widow Revealed His Prescription-Drug Dependence, A Window
Was Opened On A Hidden Epidemic in This Country

SOMEBODY'S drug crazed in this country, but it's not necessarily the
users.

Mary Bono's revelation that her husband Sonny died because of his
dependence on prescription drugs underscores the insanity of this
country's "war on drugs." Millions of Americans are hooked on legal
drugs such as Valium and Percodan - two of the pharmaceuticals that may
have done in Sonny Bono - while the government bares its knuckles
against dying cancer patients who try to ease their pain a bit by
smoking marijuana.

[snip]

We hope her colleagues in Congress listen to her - really listen - and
then take steps to reel in the "war on drugs." In its psychoactive
appetites, this nation has been on a bad trip too long. We can either
continue to pour billions into high-tech drug-fighting weaponry and
shutting down marijuana clubs, or else we can face our real problems
and search for real solutions.

Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Copyright: 1998 San Francisco Examiner
Pubdate: Sun, 22 Nov 1998
Section: Editorial, Page D 8
Contact: letters@examiner.com
Website: http://www.examiner.com/
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1074.a07.html

***

REP. BONO GETS BURNED FOR HONESTY

LOS ANGELES - Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.), widow of Sonny Bono and weary of
scandal, says that she's learning the hard way that she sometimes can be
"too honest."

Yes, she told The Associated Press on Friday, her husband did have a
prescription drug problem. "A reporter asked me a direct question and I
answered it," Bono said. "In hindsight, I wish I hadn't said anything."

[snip]

Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Contact: tribletter@aol.com
Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Copyright: 1998 Chicago Tribune Company
Pubdate: Sun, 29 Nov 1998
Author: Associated Press
Section: Sec. 1
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1097.a02.html

***

COMMENT:

That this battle of ideas is important to government policy makers can
be inferred from the following attempt at rebuttal of Molly Ivins'
forthright drug war criticism, which appeared in several papers two
weeks ago. The technique used is typical of ONDCP; relying heavily on
unsubstantiated assertion, distortion of fact, and "shoot the
messenger" tactics.

U.S. DRUG POLICY IS SOUND, DESPITE WHAT MOLLY IVINS MIGHT THINK

The language of Molly Ivins' column, " Politicians lag behind the
people on drug issues," in the Oregonian on Nov. 18 rings nostalgically
from the mid-1960's.

[snip]

Mike Gray's book might be "lively polemic," as Ivins put it, but it's
short on science and facts. Prohibition worked in terms of reducing
rates of alcohol consumption and alcoholism; it wasn't repealed because
it was a flop but because the country wanted liquor to be legal. When
substances are sanctioned and available, use goes up -- including abuse
by children.

[snip]

Source: The Oregonian
Copyright: 1998 The Oregonian
Pubdate: 25 Nov 1998
Contact: letters@news.oregonian.com
FAX: 503-294-4193
Mail: 1320 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201
Website: http://www.oregonlive.com/
Author: Lynda Bayer
Note: Linda Bayer is senior writer and strategic analyst at the White House
Office of National Drug Control Policy
(For the Molly Ivins column Bayer was attacking, see:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1059.a04.html)
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1086.a05.html

***

Law Enforcement & Prison Issues

***

COMMENT:

The more the drug war evolves into an engine of imprisonment, the more
the human rights of "convicted felons" are diminished. In California,
where the press has been denied access to state prison inmates for
over a year, hardly anyone was surprised when a blue ribbon panel
found that the vast majority of shootings at Corcoran State Prison
were unjustified. These were the same shootings which, when
"investigated" by Dan Lungren, had resulted in a whitewash.

There is also an unhealthy tendency toward increased use of (cheaper)
private prisons; the ho-hum reaction of Wisconsin legislators visiting
their state's prisoners in Tennessee might be expected- after all,
prisoners and their families don't add up to that many votes.

SHOOTINGS BY GUARDS IN 24 OF 31 CASES-SEVEN OF THEM FATAL-WERE
UNJUSTIFIED, INVESTIGATORS SAY.

LOS ANGELES-An independent panel concluded that two dozen shootings of
inmates at Corcoran State Prison were unjustified, it was reported
Thursday.

In a report released Wednesday, The Select Shooting Review Panel found
that 24 of 31 inmate shootings at Corcoran from 1989 to 1995-seven of
them fatal-involved an unjustified use of force.

The panel also said the State Department of Corrections' entire system
for investigating and prosecuting prison shootings is flawed.

[snip]

Pubdate: Nov 27, 1998
Source: Associated Press
Copyright: 1998 Associated Press.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1095.a01.html

***

PRISON TOUR DOESN'T SWAY LAWMAKERS

4 of 5 who visit private Tennessee site still favor shipping out inmates

Whiteville, Tenn. - Four of the five Wisconsin legislators who toured a
private prison where Wisconsin inmates had been abused said Saturday
they saw no reason to stop sending inmates to Corrections Corp. of
America prisons here or in Oklahoma.

The four Republicans - and one Democrat, who disagreed with them -spoke
after a day of visiting the company's facilities and meeting with
company officials in the wake of complaints of multiple cases of abuse
of Wisconsin inmates. The abuse came in the days after a brutal attack
by inmates on a rookie prison guard.

[snip]

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Contact: jsedit@onwis.com
Fax: (414) 224-8280
Website: http://www.jsonline.com/
Copyright: 1998, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Author: Richard P. Jones of the Journal Sentinel staff
Pubdate: Sun, 29 Nov 1998
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1087.a05.html

***

COMMENT:

The following article is representative. of a remarkable series in the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (also carried by the Toledo Blade) documenting
the wide range and prevalence of various unsavory tactics used by
federal enforcement agents and prosecutors to entrap and convict a
growing number of citizens in "drug crime." Titles and URLs of other
articles in the series are listed.

FEDS SOUGHT BIGGER DRUG DEAL TO ENSURE A STIFFER PRISON SENTENCE

Michael Staufer lost his minimum wage job at about the same time he was
robbed and beaten in August 1992 on a Los Angeles street.

Times were so tough he lived in a garage.

So when a friend named Scott suddenly pressed Staufer to find him
10,000 hits of LSD, Staufer wondered if the guy might have been high on
the drug himself.

Staufer was 21 years old, partied hard and used LSD when he could
afford it. Once, he'd bought 20 or 25 hits of the drug that he resold
to his friends, but he wasn't a dealer, and he certainly didn't have
the money to finance 10,000 hits.

What Staufer didn't know was that federal agents had busted Scott on
drug charges and promised him leniency if he would help the feds snare
other drug dealers.

[snip]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
Copyright: 1998 PG Publishing.
Pubdate: Mon, 23 Nov 1998
Contact: letters@post-gazette.com
Website: http://www.post-gazette.com/
Author: Bill Moushey, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
The Blade, Toledo, OH email: letters@theblade.com
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1079.a07.html

Other stories & URLS in this series include:

1) Fighting To Prove Innocence Led 3 To Stiffer Sentences
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1078.a06.html

2) Win At All Costs series - A Sting Gone Awry
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1078.a07.html

2) Federal Sting Often Put More Drugs On The Streets
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1079.a02.html

3) Informant Lured Him Into A Costly Deal
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1079.a04.html

4) Drug Charge Beaten, But At High Price
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1079.a08.html

5) Trapped Into Trying To Settle Vendetta
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1080.a01.html

6) Hiding The Facts
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1080.a03.html

7) Few Of Case's Twists, Shady Deals Revealed In Court
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1080.a04.html

***

COMMENT:

A persistent question within the reform movement is why so few blacks
speak out against the racism implicit in our drug policy. The
following op-ed by Cynthia Tucker is an eloquent description of the
problem, but misses the boat in its conclusions.

AS I SEE IT

by Cynthia Tucker

DOUBLE STANDARD ON DRUG SENTENCES

THERE ARE forgotten neighborhoods in America where the holiday season
imposes a distinct and peculiar ritual: Mom and the kids, or Grandma
and the grand kids, pack up a few goodies in tin plates and paper bags,
carefully wrapped in foil. They set out early for a visit preordained
to be brief and circumscribed, its joy Limited by the setting. They go
to visit relative in prison.

The places in America already decimated by poverty and economic
collapse - the black and brown inner-cities - are also places where
many of the young men are out of circulation. They cannot become
taxpayers or decent parents or reasonable prospects for marriage. They
will leave prison with criminal records that guarantee them limit job
opportunities.

Lacking decent incomes, they will never marry the mothers of their
children. And that, in turn, will guarantee another generation of
children who have had little contact with their fathers.

[snip]

The streets may be safer because we have succeeded in locking away for
good many of the most dangerous predators, the gangbangers and serial
killers, the robbers and rapists and carjackers. But the country is no
better off for a shameless double standard that celebrates the
privileged athlete, actor or businessman who licks his drug habit in a
ritzy sanitarium, while imprisoning the crackhead too broke to afford
drug treatment.

That policy guarantees a permanent underclass.

Pubdate: Sat, 28 Nov 1998
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Page: Editorial Page (A 24)
Copyright: 1998 San Francisco Chronicle
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Author: Cynthia Tucker
Note: Cynthia Tucker is editorial page editor of the Atlanta Constitution.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1095.a03.html

***

International News

***

COMMENT:

The following, from the Toronto Star, demonstrates that racism isn't
exclusively American. It exists everywhere; even north of the border.

BLACK PASSENGERS TARGETED IN PEARSON SEARCHES?

Lawyers plan court fight over `racial profiling' by customs
officials at airport

A survey of Air Canada flights from Jamaica to Toronto reveals that black
passengers are far more likely than white travellers to be searched by
Canada Customs.

[snip]

Source: Toronto Star (Canada)
Contact: lettertoed@thestar.com
Website: http://www.thestar.com/
Copyright: 1998, The Toronto Star
Pubdate: Sun, 29 Nov 1998
Pages: A1, A9
Author: Royson James, Toronto Star City Columnist
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1096.a06.html

***

COMMENT:

Forfeiture, the US model for giving law enforcement agencies direct
access to the profits of the illegal drug market is gaining popularity
overseas; here are two examples of official greed from Mexico and
Australia.

MEXICO SEIZES THREE HOTELS FROM DRUG CARTEL

MEXICO CITY, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Mexican authorities have seized about $200
million in assets from drug traffickers, including three luxury hotels, two
of them in the Caribbean resort of Cancun, according to a published report
on Tuesday.

The Reforma newspaper said Mexican police, with the help of U.S. agents,
took cars, the hotels and other property from members of the so-called
Juarez cocaine cartel.

[snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 24 Nov 1998
Source: Reuters
Copyright: 1998 Reuters Limited.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1079.a03.html

***

UPHILL STRUGGLE ON TRAIL OF RECORD HEROIN BUST

DESPITE an international hunt, police have yet to identify the criminal
masterminds behind last month's record heroin seizure in Australia.

After a four-week global asset search, Australian Federal Police have
only made restraining orders on a modest Hong Kong home unit, stolen
watches, bracelets and gold bars, freezing only $400,000 in assets and
jewelry from the 18 gang members charged with the bust.

[snip]

Pubdate: Sun, 22 Nov 1998
Source: Sun Herald (Australia)
Contact: letters@sunherald.fairfax.com.au
Website: http://www.sunherald.fairfax.com.au/
Copyright: 1998 John Fairfax Holdings Ltd
Author: Darren Goodsir and Chris Dobson, in Hong Kong
Page: 51
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1079.a03.html

***

COMMENT:

The following article is a translation from the German press; while
not unknown in the US, such heavy reliance on commercial delivery of
illegal drugs hasn't been noted here.

55% OF SMUGGLED COCAINE WORLD WIDE BEING TRANSPORTED BY EXPRESS SERVICES

According to German Customs authorities, private transport services are
being used "to a considerable extent" for the international transport
of illegal drugs. The trend is clear: according to current estimates
the sharp rise in the use of Express services and the quick turn around
in the exchange of goods has led to a lessening of risk. This in turn
has led to the rise in demand for such services by international drug
smugglers.

[snip]

Source: Die Welt (Germany)
Contact: reda@www.welt.de
Website: http://www.welt.de/
Copyright: Die Welt 1998
Pubdate: 21 Nov 1998
Author: Peter Scherer, Frankfurt am Main
Translator: Pat Dolan (from German text)
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1077.a04.html

***

COMMENT:

The "Droleg" initiative which would have legalized all drugs for Swiss
citizens was voted on this past week-end and went down to an even
worse defeat than anticipated. The post mortems will be interesting,
but at least part of the negative vote was motivated by legitimate
fears that Switzerland would become the national homologue "needle
park."

SWISS VOTERS BLOCK BID TO LEGALIZE NARCOTICS

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss voters Sunday rejected by a thumping three-to-one
margin a sweeping proposal to legalize narcotics that backers said would
eliminate the drugs mafia but critics said would make Switzerland a drugs
haven.

The plan would have made Switzerland the only country in the world where
anyone aged 18 or older could buy narcotics of their choice, from marijuana
to heroin, from state-run outlets or pharmacies after consulting a
physician.

[snip]

Pubdate: Sun, 29 Nov 1998
Source: Reuters
Copyright: 1998 Reuters Limited.
Author: Michael Shields
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1097.a06.html

***

COMMENT:

The Netherlands continued the tradition of carrying out their own
pragmatic drug policy despite US opposition.

DUTCH TO EXTEND FREE HEROIN HAND-OUTS TO ADDICTS

THE HAGUE, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The Dutch health ministry said on Tuesday
it would extend an experiment to distribute free heroin to hard core
drug addicts after a three-month pilot scheme proved a success.

In the first phase of the revolutionary scheme, launched in July, 24
addicts in Amsterdam and 21 in Rotterdam received heroin hand-outs.
Participants were monitored for signs of health and behavioral problems.

``During the first phase there were no serious, undesired side-effects
in terms of public order, criminality and medical safety,'' the health
ministry said in a statement.

[snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 24 Nov 1998
Source: Reuters
Copyright: 1998 Reuters Limited.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1075.a07.html

***

COMMENT:

Variability of national attitudes toward drug use was acknowledged in
this article from Le Figaro. Note that the one thing they had no
trouble agreeing on was access to the money.

DRUGS: CACOPHONY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION (Drogue: Cacophonie Dans L'union)

On the day before the opening of the European Week for the Prevention
of Drug Addiction, legislation varies from one country to the next. In
France, the debate on decriminalization of certain substances has never
been able to be conducted calmly.

Even though the European Week for the Prevention of Drug Addiction
(SEPT) begins Monday and will continue through the 22nd of November,
the member states of the European Union have still not succeeded in
harmonizing their legislation concerning illegal drugs.

The only exceptions concern the traffic in drugs and money laundering.
From 1999, the Treaty of Amsterdam will permit an effective
collaboration between the various police forces, customs, and fiscal
authorities of the countries of the European Union. But concerning the
use of drugs, penal sanctions, and the sale of drugs, the law varies
from one country to the next.

[snip]

Pubdate: Sat-Sun, 14-15 November, 1998
Source: Le Figaro (France)
Page: Section "Notre Vie"
Website: http://www.lefigaro.fr/
Copyright: Le Figaro 1998
Translation from French: Peter Webster
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1078.a05.html

***

HOT OFF THE 'NET

CD Recording From the Mouths of Drug War Prisoners

The November Coalition  is proud to announce the
release of their long awaited 'Prisoner Audio CD'. This project was
generously funded with a grant from DPF and collects in audio cd form,
24 messages from Drug War Prisoners and family members. This powerful
activist tool will be distributed free to radio. It is also available
for sale as a TNC fund raiser for $11 post paid.

This 'labor of love' was painstakingly pieced together over a 2 year
period. It is the voice of the prisoner. It is a document of pain and
anguish that communicates the affects of our drug war in emotional
terms anyone can understand.

The cd comes with 3 pages of well documented facts and figures
guaranteed to raise eyebrows with even staunch Drug War supporters.

TNC is also looking for volunteers to help distribute the cd to
community radio. You needn't be radio savvy- on-line coaching will
ensure you make an effective presentation (it's all done by email, the
Internet and the post office).

Cd's can be purchased for $11 each or 10 for $70. Order yours today.

TNC
795 S. Cedar
Colville,
WA 99114

If you'd like to join our Radio Team, talk distribution strategy, or
know more about our project you can email me at: johnh@november.org

John Humphrey (Project Coordinator)
as684@lafn.org (John Humphrey)

***

New Republic Ads by Common Sense for Drug Policy

Common Sense for Drug Policy has been running a series of advertisements
in the "New Republic" discussing drug policy. The first ad called Barry
McCaffrey to task for getting his facts wrong, the second compared the
results of U.S. and Dutch drug policy, the third debunked some common
myths about cannabis, and the most recent, published on November 30th,
illustrated how American Constitutional rights and freedoms are being
gradually eroded by the war on drugs.

The advertisements may be read online at: http://www.drugsense.org/ads/

***

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"The More Corrupt the State the More Numerous the Laws" - Tacitus

***

SPECIAL NOTICES

NOVEMBER NEWSHAWK OF THE MONTH - JANE MARCUS

***

The following is a DrugSense interview with our NewsHawk of the Month,
Jane Marcus

DS: How did you get into newshawking?

Jane: In 1995 I took a course from the Stanford University Continuing
Studies program on U.S. Drug Policy taught by former San Jose Police
Chief, Dr. Joseph McNamara. I later served as on-line teaching
assistant when videotapes of the course were broadcast on Stanford's
cable channel. People who were watching the lectures and discussing
them on-line joined a small email list, and I started sending them
copies of relevant articles. MAP Board member, Dr. Tom O'Connell,
joined the list and soon after suggested that I participate in the MAP
effort.

DS: What do you consider the most significant story/issue of the past
months?

Jane: The two most important recent stories are the total success of
the medical marijuana initiatives across the country and the resounding
defeat of Dan Lungren in California. I await the new Gray Davis/Bill
Lockyer era with renewed hope that the Prop. 215 stalemate will end.

DS: What is your favorite website?

Jane: No day is complete without my visit to MAP's Drug News Index and
the New York Times Forum on Drug policy
(http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?13@@.eeb88c7 - readers who have
not previously visited the site will need to register). It's especially
gratifying to see articles I sent to MAP linked to by posters on NYT
forum.

DS: Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers of the
weekly?

Jane: In graduate school I did research on communication theory and
learned a great deal about how new ideas spread. I learned that the
news media are important vehicles for bringing information about new
ideas to the public, but it is interpersonal communication that is most
effective in getting people to adopt new ideas.

Certainly the growth of the Internet will be a critical tool in
bringing information about drug policy to the portion of the population
that is on-line. But good old fashioned person-to-person communication
is needed for people to actually change their minds. I encourage
everyone to get out and talk to your friends, co-workers and
acquaintances to let them know that reasonable people just like
themselves are "just saying KNOW" to drug policy status quo.

DS NOTE: Jane would also like readers to know that she works full-time
outside the home and shares her busy life with a husband and two
teenage children who support her activism. She is also a charter member
of FAMILY WATCH, a network of groups and individuals concerned about
the impact of drug policy on families, women and children. (For more
information about Family Watch, visit their new and growing website at
http://FamilyWatch.org/ or contact Kendra Wright at
Kendra@FamilyWatch.org ) The Family Watch site is still under
construction but well worth a visit and perhaps linking to.

***

THANKS ALSO TO DON BECK AND KEVIN FANSLER

We would also like to acknowledge DrugNews Screeners - Don Beck and
Kevin Fansler who screen hundreds of news articles a week, make decisions
as to the most important, and forward this refined information to Tom
O'Connell. This has proven to dramatically reduce the workload in filtering
and preparing the DrugSense Weekly.

***

DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense offers
our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what DrugSense can
do for
you.

TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS:

Please utilize the following URLs

http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm

and

http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm

News/COMMENTS-Editor: Tom O'Connell (tjeffoc@drugsense.org)
Senior-Editor: Mark Greer (mgreer@drugsense.org)

We wish to thank all our contributors and Newshawks.

NOTICE:

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes.

REMINDER:

Please help us help reform. Send any news articles you find on any drug
related issue to editor@mapinc.org

***

NOW YOU CAN DONATE TO DRUGSENSE ON-LINE AND IT'S TAX DEDUCTIBLE

DrugSense provides many services to at no charge BUT THEY ARE NOT FREE TO
PRODUCE.

We incur many costs in creating our many and varied services. If you
are able to help by contributing to the DrugSense effort visit our
convenient donation web site at

http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

-OR-

Mail in your contribution. Make checks payable to MAP Inc. send your
contribution to:

The Media Awareness Project (MAP) Inc.
d/b/a DrugSense
PO Box 651
Porterville,
CA 93258
(800) 266 5759
MGreer@mapinc.org
http://www.mapinc.org/
http://www.drugsense.org/

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

[End]

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