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

Vote on prison bill causes a stir (The Oregonian says Republicans
in the Oregon Senate have forced a vote today on a prison-siting bill
that would reverse Governor Kitzhaber's attempt to put a new women's prison
and intake center near Wilsonville, just south of Portland. The GOP
legislation would instead put the 1,300-bed complex in the Eastern Oregon
city of Umatilla. The governor's office says the bill gives unfair financial
incentives to the Umatilla area.)

The Oregonian
Contact: letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Fax: 503-294-4193
Website: http://www.oregonlive.com/
Forum: http://forums.oregonlive.com/

Vote on prison bill causes a stir

* The Senate is set to decide today on a measure that the governor's office
says gives unfair financial incentives to the Umatilla area

Thursday February 11, 1999

By Jeff Mapes
of The Oregonian staff

SALEM -- Amid new claims that the Umatilla area will get unfair financial
incentives to accept a controversial state prison, battle lines hardened
Wednesday over an issue that has become a major test of wills between Gov.
John Kitzhaber and Senate Republican leaders.

The Senate is scheduled to vote today on a prison-siting bill that would
reverse Kitzhaber's attempt to put a new women's prison and intake center in
the Wilsonville area and instead put the 1,300-bed complex in the Eastern
Oregon city of Umatilla.

Democrats complained that Republican leaders are calling for a party-line
vote against an alternative version of the bill backed by Kitzhaber that
would put the prison along Day Road near Wilsonville.

Senate President Brady Adams, R-Grants Pass, denied that. But it was clear
supporters of the Umatilla site were pushing hard to make sure they have the
votes to prevail.

"The proponents and the governor both have their backs up on this one. So
it's personal to them," said Sen. Neil Bryant, R-Bend, who is among several
senators who remain undecided. "From a leadership standpoint, you don't want
to lose a vote on a key issue this early in the session."

On Wednesday, a top Kitzhaber aide criticized Republican sponsors of the
bill for including provisions that would give schools in the Umatilla area
state tax money to handle extra students generated by the jobs at the new
prison.

"They're getting a benefit no other community in the state receives for
having a prison, and it's not fair," said Steve Marks, Kitzhaber's chief
aide on prison issues.

"They're buying support" for the prison in Umatilla, said Sen. Lee Beyer,
D-Springfield.

The measure, Senate Bill 3, contains no dollar amount. Instead it says the
state shall give school districts "the sums reasonably necessary" to meet
growth brought by the prison.

Martin Davis, the Umatilla city administrator, said the local school
district had asked for as much as $5 million in school construction money
from the state. He noted that the bill's language also could allow school
districts in surrounding areas to seek state money for their enrollment growth.

Sen. Eileen Qutub, R-Beaverton, the bill's chief sponsor, said the state
would have to pay about $1 million in school costs, which she called "chump
change" compared with the costs of expanding public services to build a
prison at the Day Road site.

Although the state has picked up only the road and utility costs of new
prisons, Qutub said it also should be a state responsibility to help expand
schools. "I thought he cared about kids," Qutub said of Kitzhaber's
opposition to money for schools.

The fight between Kitzhaber and Senate Republicans has turned into one of
the state's longest-running political sagas. Kitzhaber said in May 1997 that
he wanted to build the complex on the grounds of the former Dammasch State
Hospital in Wilsonville, a move strongly opposed by nearby residents.

At the urging of legislative leaders, Kitzhaber last year agreed to study
the Day Road site just north of Wilsonville and eventually agreed it was a
better site. But the Day Road site also faced strong neighborhood
opposition. Senate Republicans then torpedoed a scheduled special
legislative session to approve money for the prison and put Qutub in charge
of finding another site.

Her committee decided the state could save about $91 million by putting it
next to another prison under construction in Umatilla, about 180 miles east
of Portland. But Kitzhaber said he wanted to reserve that site for another
men's prison the state eventually needs to build -- and he said his overall
plan is cheaper in the long run.

On Wednesday, a handful of Day Road residents lobbied legislators to support
SB3, saying Kitzhaber's compromise bill caught them by surprise.

Marks unveiled the alternative last week during testimony before the Senate
Business and Consumer Affairs Committee.

"This is a politically sneaky way of doing business," said Dale Dickert,
whose home would be condemned before a prison could be built on the Day Road
property. "If we had known about (Kitzhaber's compromise proposal) before
the meeting, we would have had 1,000 people in there speaking against it."

Kitzhaber has said the complex should be in the Portland area, where women
can be closer to their families and there are more medical and evaluation
services.

Kitzhaber has threatened to veto the Umatilla bill if it reaches his desk,
meaning the prison-siting saga could continue.

"The governor has the final word on this," said Sen. Rick Metsger,
D-Welches. "He has said he's not going to allow this prison to be built in
Umatilla. Do we run this merry-go-round until we get back to the starting
gate, or do we solve this issue now?

"It sounds like everybody wants to take the ride."

Michelle Roberts of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report.

You can reach Jeff Mapes at 221-8234 or by e-mail at
jeffmapes@news.oregonian.com.

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

High schoolers can get $1,000 bounty under new drug "snitch" program (A press
release from the Libertarian Party, in Washington, D.C., protests a plan by
three high schools in Portland, Oregon, to reward teenagers who anonymously
turn in other students on drug charges.)

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 23:22:31 -0800
To: restore@crrh.org
From: "D. Paul Stanford" (stanford@crrh.org)
From: "CRRH mailing list" (restore@crrh.org)
Subject: High schoolers can get $1,000 bounty under new drug "snitch"
program

STOP THE SNITCHING!

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20037
World Wide Web: http://www.lp.org/

For release: February 11, 1999

For additional information:
George Getz, Press Secretary
Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222
E-Mail: 76214.3676@Compuserve.com

***

High schoolers can get $1,000 bounty
under new drug "snitch" program

WASHINGTON, DC -- A plan by three Oregon high schools to pay
$1,000 bounties to teenagers who anonymously turn in other students on
drug charges is a morally reprehensible program that will turn high
schools into "schools for snitches," the Libertarian Party charged
today.

"This is the first step towards turning America's teenagers
into paid informants for the government," said Steve Dasbach, the
party's national director. "Are these really the kinds of values and
skills we want to teach our young people?"

Starting this month, students in three high school districts in
Portland, Oregon, will be paid up to $1,000 for snitching on fellow
students who use drugs or alcohol on school property.

Under the new Crime Stoppers program, students will be given a
direct, anonymous hot line to school police.

But Libertarians say the program charts a direct line to a new
McCarthyism, where teenagers will live in fear of being turned in --
rightly or wrongly -- to the authorities by anonymous informers eager
for a cash reward.

"This turn-in-your-friends-for-cash scheme at Judas Iscariot
High School is a stark example of how Drug Prohibition has warped the
morals of this nation," said Dasbach. "Instead of treating drug abuse
as a medical problem that requires concern and compassion, this program
treats drug abuse as an opportunity to earn 30 pieces of silver by
ratting on your schoolmates."

There are many reasons Libertarians oppose the $1,000 bounty
program, said Dasbach, including...

* It's ripe for abuse. "How many high school grudges will be
settled by calling 1-800-BE-A-SNITCH?" asked Dasbach. "How strong will
the lure of a $1,000 reward be to a student who suffered from a broken
romance -- and wants revenge? For every honest report of drug abuse,
how many anonymous calls will be made to settle a score?"

* It will create a climate of fear and distrust. "Programs like
this will cause every student to wonder: Who will be turned in next?
Betrayal, snitching, and anonymous informants are not the proper recipe
for creating school spirit, respect, and trust," he said.

* It will funnel teenagers with drug problems into the criminal
justice system instead of the medical system. "Like all Americans,
Libertarians are concerned about teenage drug abuse," said Dasbach.
"But reporting and arresting a teenager for smoking marijuana isn't a
solution -- it's a bigger problem. For a high school student struggling
with the challenges of adolescence, putting him in a jail cell and
burdening him with a criminal record takes a temporary medical problem
and turns it into a lifelong disaster."

* It won't work. "Last week, the American Bar Association's
Criminal Justice Section released a study reporting that illicit drug
use in America had increased 7% from 1996 to 1997 -- while the number
of people arrested on drug charges since 1992 has increased by 73%. If
America could arrest its way out of the drug problem, it would have
happened by now."

Ironically, reports of the $1,000 high school bounty surfaced
at about the same time Vice President Al Gore unveiled the Clinton
Administration's new anti-drug policy, and argued that drug abuse is
partly a "spiritual problem."

"If Al Gore is correct, and drug abuse is a spiritual problem,
we won't solve the problem by devilishly appealing to the worst in
people -- and offering cash rewards to turn in your classmates," said
Dasbach. "The solution to a spiritual problem is not to turn America
into a nation of Soviet-style paid informants."


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The Libertarian Party
2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20037
http://www.lp.org/
voice: 202-333-0008
fax: 202-333-0072

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

Kubbys Knew Of Impending Arrest (Tahoe World, in Tahoe City, California,
recounts the cultivation bust and legal strategy of Steve Kubby, the
medical-marijuana patient/activist and 1998 Libertarian candidate for
governor, and his wife, Michele.)

Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 03:36:46 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: MMJ: Kubbys Knew Of Impending Arrest
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Steve Kubby
Source: Tahoe World (CA)
Copyright: 1999 Tahoe World
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Feb 1999
Page: Front Page with color photo of Steve and Michele
Website: http://www.tahoe.com/world/
Forum: http://www.tahoe.com/community/forum/
Contact: world@tahoe.com
FAX: (530) 583-7109
Mail: P.O. Box 138, Tahoe City, CA 96145
Author: Patrick McCartney

KUBBYS KNEW OF IMPENDING ARREST

OLYMPIC VALLEY - For six months drug investigators and Steve and Michele
Kubby engaged in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.

As investigators of the North Tahoe Task Force poured over details of the
couple's lives for evidence of marijuana violations, the Kubbys, tipped off
about the investigation, tied up the loose ends of their growing operation.

Launched by an anonymous letter claiming the former Libertarian
gubernatorial candidate was financing his campaign by selling marijuana,
the investigation climaxed Jan. 19 with the arrest of Steve and Michele
Kubby on various marijuana charges.

Now, the Kubbys face charges of cultivating marijuana in their Olympic
Valley home, conspiracy and possession with intent to sell. A preliminary
conference is set for Feb. 22 in Tahoe Superior Court.

The case promises to become the highest-profile test to date of
California's Proposition 215, the initiative voters approved in 1996
authorizing the use of marijuana with a physician's approval. Steve Kubby,
who has adrenal cancer and was instrumental in qualifying Proposition 215
for the ballot, openly espoused the use of medicinal marijuana in the
governor's race last year. Kubby finished fourth, receiving 1 percent of
the vote.

According to court documents filed by the multi-agency North Tahoe Task
Force, the investigation included interviews of Kubby associates,
surveillance of the couple's home, checking their household trash and an
analysis of their utility bills. But, no sooner than the anonymous letter
from Marina del Rey piqued the interest of the drug task force, then the
Kubbys were tipped off an investigation had begun.

"They underestimated our political contacts, our influence and our friends
in the medicinal marijuana movement," said Michele Kubby during an
interview at the couple's Olympic Valley home.

Producing evidence of the Kubbys' marijuana garden was easy for members of
the task force, which includes law-enforcement officials from Placer
County, the state of Nevada and the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration. Intercepting the Kubbys' household trash, investigators
found stems, seeds, leafy marijuana residue, partially smoked marijuana
cigarettes and packaging for such cultivation supplies as powerful sodium
light bulbs, plant vitamins and diagrams of lighting systems. Also found in
the household trash were flyers addressed to law-enforcement personnel,
advising them of Steve Kubby's use of medicinal marijuana, maintenance of a
garden, possession of no more than 3.5 pounds of pot and his cancer
condition.

Christopher Cattran, a Placer County deputy district attorney assigned to
the Lake Tahoe office, said he was not impressed by the Kubbys' reliance on
Proposition 215. "My review of 215 is that (they had) more marijuana than
necessitated by a medical condition," Cattran said Tuesday. "And there is
some evidence that they furnished it to another individuals observed during
the surveillance."

Cattran said he visited the Kubbys' house while the task force searched the
residence to get a feel for the growing operation. Investigators seized 256
plants, about half of which were seedlings, in four different rooms. When
officers knocked on their door on a Tuesday morning, the Kubbys were ready.
As the task force searched the house, seizing plants, lights, their
computer, passports and other items, the Kubbys provided letters from a
physician, attorney and the president of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers
Cooperative who had inspected their garden.

In the wake of their arrest, the Kubbys insist they are the perfect
defendants to overcome police and prosecutor opposition to Proposition 215.
They deny selling any of the marijuana they harvested, and point to their
modest financial circumstances: $4,800 in savings and a 10-year-old car as
proof their only income is derived from Steve Kubby's online magazine,
Alpine World.

"We think this will be the `Scopes Monkey Trial' of medical marijuana,"
said Steve Kubby. "This entire clash of cultures and ideology will be on
the table."

Placer County Undersheriff Steve D'Arcy said he interprets the Proposition
215 guidelines issued by former Attorney General Dan Lungren differently.
"I don't think so," D'Arcy said about the Kubbys becoming a high-visibility
test case. "There have been other cases before where marijuana growers were
selling it and used Proposition 215 as a defense."

Cattran was less certain. "We want to see justice done," Cattran said. "If
it turns out ... a jury decides that 265 plants are all right, then that's
justice. But if the jury decides it's just too much, justice is done then,
too."

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

Auburn Grand Jury To Hear Kubby Marijuana Case (The Tahoe World says the
district attorney in Placer County, California, will withdraw the existing
indictment for marijuana cultivation and possession for sale against Steve
Kubby and his wife, Michele, so the case can be presented to a criminal grand
jury on Feb. 17. Dale Wood, the attorney representing the Kubbys, said the
decision would deprive them of a public hearing.)

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 12:05:22 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: MMJ: Auburn Grand Jury To Hear Kubby Marijuana Case
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Steve Kubby
Source: Tahoe World (CA)
Copyright: 1999 Tahoe World
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Feb 1999
Page: Front Page with color photo of Steve and Michele
Website: http://www.tahoe.com/world/
Forum: http://www.tahoe.com/community/forum/
Contact: world@tahoe.com
FAX: (530) 583-7109
Mail: P.O. Box 138, Tahoe City, CA 96145
Author: Patrick McCartney

AUBURN GRAND JURY TO HEAR KUBBY MARIJUANA CASE

Former Libertarian candidate Steve Kubby's marijuana cultivation case will
be presented to a criminal grand jury, a Placer County prosecutor confirmed
Monday.

The grand jury hearing is set for Feb. 17.

With the decision, the District Attorney's Office will withdraw the
existing indictment of marijuana cultivation and possession for sale
against Kubby and his wife Michele.

The Kubbys were arrested Jan. 19 at their Olympic Valley home by the
multi-agency North Tahoe Task Force, which seized 265 plants growing in
four rooms.

Kubby, 52, openly espoused the use of medical marijuana for his adrenal
cancer during a 1998 campaign for governor. He was instrumental in
qualifying California's successful Proposition 215 in 1996, which allows
the use of marijuana with a physician's approval.

Christopher Cattran, a Placer County deputy district attorney, said
criminal grand juries are often used by the county's prosecutors.

"We view the grand jury as a body of independent people who will
impartially review all the evidence and render a fair decision," Cattran
said. "It's not unusual, especially in Placer County, for us to go in front
of a grand jury."

Dale Wood, a Truckee attorney representing the Kubbys, said the decision
would deprive Kubby of a public hearing of his case.

Grand jury proceedings are secret and the transcript is usually sealed. In
addition, defendants are not allowed to be represented by counsel in the
proceedings, which serves as an alternative for preliminary hearings by a
magistrate in court.

Wood called the grand jury hearing an "archaic" procedure, and said he has
advised the Kubbys not to attend.

The Placer County District Attorney's Office also sought a grand jury
hearing for another recent medical marijuana case involving Rocklin dentist
Michael Baldwin and his wife Georgia.

Their case is pending.

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

Marijuana Never Killed Anyone, Unlike Other Drugs (A letter to the editor of
the Honolulu Star-Bulletin is skeptical about a drug warrior's rhetoric. "If
marijuana isn't a medicine, why are patients being supplied marijuana by the
federal government, and why is the active ingredient in marijuana used as
medicine in pills?")

Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 19:16:29 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US HI: PUB LTE: MMJ: Marijuana Never Killed Anyone, Unlike
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: pacal (pacal@lava.net)
Pubdate: 11 Feb 1999
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)
Copyright: 1999 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Contact: letters@starbulletin.com
Website: http://www.starbulletin.com/
Author: John McClain

MARIJUANA NEVER KILLED ANYONE, UNLIKE OTHER DRUGS

Sandra Lacar's Jan. 30 View Point, "Medical use of marijuana must not be
allowed," is confusing. If marijuana isn't a medicine, why are patients
being supplied marijuana by the federal government, and why is the active
ingredient in marijuana (THC) used as medicine in pills (as she herself
points out)?

Lacar implies that marijuana is cancerous. There is no evidence of lung
cancer deaths from marijuana. Yet prescription drugs kill 100,000 people a
year, compared to zero deaths from marijuana.

She suggests this legislation will increase abuse rates, but gives no
evidence. In fact, usage rates have dropped in California after passage of
medical marijuana laws.

Rhetoric confuses the issue. The facts speak for themselves.

John McClain (Via the Internet)

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

Is Hemp Economically Sound? (MSNBC KTSM-TV, in El Paso, Texas, says an
industrial hemp bill before the New Mexico legislature passed its first
hurdle when the House Agriculture Committee recommended its passage. The bill
has to pass through one more committee before it can go to the full house.
The proposed law would allocate $50,000 to New Mexico State University to
study the economic feasibility of a state hemp industry.)

Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 10:27:11 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US NM: Is Hemp Economically Sound?
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: 2-11-1999
Source: MSNBC KTSM-TV El Paso, TX
Contact: msktsm@elp.rr.com
Website: http://www.msnbc.com/local/ktsm/
Author: Michelle Alegria ktsmtv@whc.net

IS HEMP ECONOMICALLY SOUND?

The word hemp makes people think of marijuana, but the fact is they're two
very different things. Hemp won't get you high, and it just may be a cash
cow as a commercial crop. Some states are set to look into the possibilities.

'We may be missing out on some important opprtunities to increase incomes
of the plant growers.' --Prof. Rhonda Skaggs NMSU

A tough fibrous plant that has been used as rope and fabric for thousands
of years is beginning to take root in the minds of Americans. There's a
growing movement in the U.S. to make the plant legal so it can be used to
make cloth, paper and other products.

It's called hemp, and the U.S. prohibits it's growth. Thirty other
countries, including Canada, have made it legal to grow. Now, the New
Mexico Legislature will consider a bill to allocate $50,000 to New Mexico
State University to study the economic possibilities of commercially grown
hemp.

"You can't smoke industrial hemp, it doesn't have the same psychoactive
properties as marijuana," said Rhonda Skaggs, and agricultural professor at
NMSU.

Experts say hemp contains only trace amounts of the chemical in marijuana
that gets people high. Hemp is grown for its fiber and has long been used
to make canvas and rope. Today, it's transformed into everything from
cloth, paper, shirts, hats, and even necklaces.

Officials in New Mexico say that's why they want to know if they could
make a part of the state's agricultural economy.

"With the concerns over the use of fossil fuels in the production of
plastic and rope and bags and other products,.. it makes some sense to have
some sort of renewable resource, a plant product, which is an annual
production," said Skaggs.

Some legislators say that hemp could be the cash crop of the future. Law
enforcement officials say, however, it would only make their job more
difficult.

"The biggest problem for police is going to be looking at a budget to buy
more field tests," said Sgt. Joel Cano of the Las Cruces Police Department
in southern New Mexico. "The other problem is that it will tie up the
officers for a little longer."

Those who support hemp, say not being able to grow hemp legally is a loss
to the whole country.

"We may be missing out on some important opportunities to increase incomes
of the plant growers," said Skaggs.

The bill before the New Mexico Legislature has already passed its first
hurdle. The House Agriculture Committee recommended the bill's passage. It
has one more committee to go through before going before the full house.

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

Make Pot Fine $5,000, Brookfield Judge Says (According to the Milwaukee
Sentinel Journal, in Wisconsin, Judge Richard J. Steinberg says the $2,000
fine currently assessed for marijuana possession locally is "getting the
attention of pot smokers," so the threat of a $5,000 maximum fine might have
a bigger impact still. Judge Steinberg suggested adopting the higher fine to
the city attorney's office this week. But according to Brookfield Police
Chief Robert Jacobs, "I don't see any increased benefit from doing that. If
a kid doesn't care about the $2,000, they're not going to care about the
$5,000, either.")

Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 08:21:13 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US WI: Make Pot Fine $5,000, Brookfield Judge Says
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: February 11, 1999
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Copyright: 1999, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Contact: jsedit@onwis.com
Fax: 414-224-8280
Website: http://www.jsonline.com/
Forum: http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgi
Author: Paul Gores of the Journal Sentinel staff

MAKE POT FINE $5,000, BROOKFIELD JUDGE SAYS

Confident his marijuana crackdown with maximum $2,000 fines is causing
potential users to think twice, Brookfield's municipal court judge
wants the stakes more than doubled.

Judge Richard J. Steinberg said if the $2,000 fine is getting the
attention of pot smokers, the threat of a $5,000 maximum fine might
have a bigger impact still. He suggested adopting the higher fine to
the city attorney's office this week.

"I have gotten some feel from around the community and even outside
the community . . . and they've all been supportive of it," Steinberg
said, "and many people have said, 'Charge them more.' "

But not everyone, including the city's police chief, is convinced such
a huge jump in the fine will deter marijuana use.

"To me, I don't see any increased benefit from doing that," Chief
Robert Jacobs said. "If a kid doesn't care about the $2,000, they're
not going to care about the $5,000, either."

Before Steinberg's get-tough approach began early last year, people
found with small amounts of marijuana in Brookfield were fined as
little as $269.

But over the past year, Steinberg has imposed the maximum $2,000 fine
16 times. He said the fine -- which is part of a crackdown that
includes a mandatory court appearance and a community service sentence
for those receiving lesser fines -- was spurred by what he considered
a growing nonchalance among those caught with the drug.

If unrepentant marijuana users can afford to buy the drug, Steinberg
said, they can afford a big fine. He cited one instance in which a man
willingly paid the $2,000 fine rather than accept a smaller forfeiture
in conjunction with community service and drug testing.

Steinberg said the $2,000 fine typically is reserved for those with
indifferent attitudes or criminal records, or those with "the
arrogance" not to show up in court at all.

But Steinberg makes many of the offenders -- especially teens and
young adults -- perform community service and get drug testing and
counseling as an alternative to the maximum fine.

One local official who thinks Steinberg's tough approach has had a
positive impact is Elmbrook Schools Superintendent Matthew Gibson.

"I think that message has gone out and it has been a deterrent,"
Gibson said.

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

Two Freedom Fighters With One Stone (Diane Fornbacher, High Times magazine's
Freedom Fighter of the Month for January, describes her latest arrest and
that of May 1998 Freedom Fighter Julien Heicklen at Penn State University.)

From: "Diane Fornbacher" (siamgemini@hotmail.com)
From: "CRRH mailing list" (restore@crrh.org)
To: restore@crrh.org
Subject: Two Freedom Fighters With One Stone
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 09:14:10 PST

February 11, 1999

Two High Times Freedom Fighters were arrested again in State College, Pa
at the Penn State University main entrance gates. First, Dr. Heicklen,
professor emeritus of PSU and High Times freedom Fighter of May 1998,
was arrested for using the bullhorn and refusing to cease and desist his
proclamations for freedom and for the end to the drug war. Officers
approached Heicklen and asked him to hand over the battery-powered sound
amp device, which is not permitted by a town ordinance. Heicklen
refused saying, "Go away, I am practicing my rights to protest and to
gather support in a public arena." Officers then proceeded to pry the
bullhorn away from Heicklen, who was adamantly gripping the straps to
his device, refusing to give into the demands of authority. He then
crumpled to the ground in passive resistance, forcing the officers to
carry him across the street amidst screams and protests from
approximately 200 supporters, most of them students at Penn State.

Diane Fornbacher, co-coordinator of the protests and Jan 1999 High Times
magazine Freedom Fighter, resumed the protest as Heicklen was being
carried away. She picked up the bullhorn that had been carelessly
tossed aside by local authorities and proceeded to condemn their actions
as a full fledged violation of constitutional rights. She strongly
stated that, "We, the protesters and citizens of the United States of
America will never, ever go away, no matter the distance you carry us to
silence our beliefs. We are sick of your intolerance and ignorance!"
Soon, the authorities descended on her, taking the bullhorn from her
hands and cuffed her. She then followed Dr. Heicklen's example and went
limp, so that the officers were forced to carry her a block down the
street to their patrol car. As she was carried away, she parodied a
phrase from the movie Braveheart when she said, "They can take our weed,
but they will NEVER TAKE.....OUR FREEDOM!!" to which the crowd responded
with horrendous applause and cheer.

Dr. Heicklen and Diane R. Fornbacher were both arraigned after about
four hours in custody. Heicklen, who refused to make any movement the
entire day, was arraigned in an ambumance that was parked adjacent to
the magistrate's office. He was cited with two counts of disorderly
conduct and one count of noise violation. Fornbacher was charged with
one count of disorderly conduct and one count for noise violation.

This was Heicklen's 13th arrest in a little over a year since the weekly
protests started. It was Fornbacher's third.

RELATED ARTICLES (Of the following links--none of the reporters who
wrote the story were present at the protest and failed miserably to
capture the excitement that transpired. Neither paper found the event
important enough to include on the front page. Maybe when their freedom
of speech is violated personally, they will act differently. I encourage
all of you to write letters to the editors of the following toilet
papers.)

www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/1999/02/02-12-99tdc/02-12-99dnews-5.asp

http://www.centredaily.com/news/story21.htm

***

Dr. Heicklen can be reached at : jph13@psu.edu

Diane R. Fornbacher can be reached at: ladydiane@zensearch.net

"Rise like lions after slumber in invanquishable number -- Shake your
chains to earth like dew which in sleep had fallen on you -- ye are many
-- they are few." -- Percy Shelley

FEAR IS THE ELIXIR OF THOSE WHO SEEK TO ERADICATE FREE THOUGHT & ACTION!

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

Man Arrested A Second Time For Marijuana Operation (A cautionary tale
revealing typical American journalistic objectivity, by MSNBC WMSV-TV,
Channel 4 in Nashville, Tennessee, says the station informed on Terry
Barbour, a somewhat naive local cannabis retailer and enthusiast, after it
interviewed him following his arraignment on pot charges, and taped him and
friends using "drugs" in the news crews' presence. Barbour is now being held
in the Putnam County jail without bond.)

Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 10:18:08 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US TN: Man Arrested A Second Time For Marijuana Operation
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Feb 1999
Author: Francene Cucinello
Source: MSNBC WMSV-TV Nashville TN
Contact: enews4@wsmv.com
Website: http://www.msnbc.com/local/WSMV/

MAN ARRESTED A SECOND TIME FOR MARIJUANA OPERATION

One week ago police arrested a man who sells marijuana, he says that it's
his "mission." Two days after the arrest, Terry Barbour bonded out of jail.
Channel Four sent a crew back to Putnam County to see if he's back to
business as usual.

Most days Terry Barbour works odd jobs, but not Thursdays. On Thursdays
Barbour says he sells marijuana. "I make my money selling pot. I sell to
anybody, I don't card nobody."

Last Thursday drug agents busted Barbour confiscating coolers full of
marijuana. Police seized 200-thousand dollars worth. You'd think that would
be enough to make Barbour stop selling. It wasn't. "I have to. Somebody's
gotta take care of this plant."

Barbour and his pals say providing pot is their "responsibility." He says
that he doesn't think he is doing anything wrong. "Big deal big deal. So
what, they made it illegal. Big deal." They say hemp is one of the most
useful plants on the planet whether it's spun into fabric, used as seed, or
smoked.

Barbour says pot paid for a friend's hearing aids and helps another deal
with chronic pain. As for him? "I like the buzz. In it for the buzz. I can
get by on a joint or 2 a day but out here we'll smoke 3 or 4 or 5."

During the time our crew was talking to Barbour and his friends Thursday,
they had full knowledge our camera was rolling, but still openly used
drugs. We felt it was our civic obligation to report what we saw to the
authorities. We gave a statement to the district attorney. Late Thursday
afternoon they searched Barbour's house and arrested him again. He's
charged with possession of marijuana with intent of resale and is being
held without bond in the Putnam County jail.

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

Federal `Drug War' Strategy Is Bound To Fail - Again (San Jose Mercury News
columnist Joanne Jacobs says this year's Clinton administration blueprint for
the war on some drug users reveals the same old strategy, and it's likely to
produce the same old results. Despite this year's $17.8 billion budget, the
cost to eradicate coca crops in South America keeps going up, while the
street price of cocaine keeps going down. The one strategy that works -
treatment for addicts - gets only a fraction of the funding.)

Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 08:25:00 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: COLUMN: Federal `Drug War' Strategy Is Bound To Fail -
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus/Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Feb 1999
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 1999 Mercury Center
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Author: Joanne Jacobs

FEDERAL `DRUG WAR' STRATEGY IS BOUND TO FAIL -- AGAIN

Treatment Is The Best Weapon

`WE must mount an all-out effort to banish crime, drugs and disorder
and hopelessness from our streets once and for all,'' said Vice
President Al Gore Monday, announcing this year's plan for the war on
drugs.

It's the same old strategy, and it's likely to produce the same old
results.

Two-thirds of $17.8 billion will be aimed at reducing the supply of
illegal drugs, with more money for South American militaries, Coast
Guard patrols, border guards, federal drug enforcement agents and
local cops. One third is aimed at suppressing demand, which includes
anti-drug ads, school programs, drug testing and treatment.

Adolescent drug use, on the rise since 1992, leveled off last year,
according to the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future
survey. The administration is touting that as a sign of success -- and
predicting drug use and availability will fall 25 percent by 2002, 50
percent by 2007. Drug-related crime will fall by 30 percent in eight
years, says drug czar Barry McCaffrey. Health and social costs of drug
abuse will decline by 25 percent.

The Pleasantville scenario sounds nice. But it's not very realistic.

As long as Americans are willing to pay to get high, farmers in
desperately poor countries will grow drug crops, smugglers will sneak
drugs across the border and dealers will get the product to customers.
Helicopters and herbicides won't change that.

Coca cultivation is down in Peru and Bolivia, McCaffrey said. But it's
up sharply in Colombia.

The budget to eradicate coca crops in South America keeps going up,
while the street price of cocaine keeps going down, the Drug Policy
Foundation reports. ``The street cost of cocaine in 1996 (the most
recent year for which figures are available) was one-third of what it
was in 1981, when the government spent virtually no money on
interdiction and eradication efforts.''

School kids who want drugs know where to find them. Over the last five
years, it's become easier for high school students to acquire most
drugs, the Monitoring the Future survey found.

McCaffrey touted a $195 million media campaign to tell kids that drug
use is ``wrong'' and dangerous.

In one ad, a young woman with an iron skillet bashes a kitchen to
bits, illustrating that drug abuse not only fries your brain, it also
hurts everyone around you.

``Will this persuade high school students not to use drugs?'' I asked
my daughter and her friend.

``OK, Mom. I'll give up my plans to become a heroin addict,'' my
daughter said.

After years of drug warnings in school, teenagers have stopped
listening, her friend said. They know the dangers. The question is
whether they care.

There's no evidence ads reduce drug use, said Scott Ehlers, senior
analyst at the Drug Policy Foundation in Washington, D.C. ``I hope
so,'' he said, ``but there hasn't been much research. We don't know.''

There is lots of research, including a 1998 University of Illinois
study, showing that DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) doesn't
reduce students' use of drugs. DARE is still used in 70 percent of
school districts, and the federal funds continue to flow.

The one strategy that works -- treatment for addicts -- gets only a
fraction of the funding.

Every dollar spent on treatment is 23 times more effective in lowering
drug abuse rates than a dollar spent on destroying foreign crops, RAND
concluded in a 1994 study. One treatment dollar is the equivalent of
$11 spent trying to stop drugs at the border or $7 spent on police and
prisons.

Providing treatment lowers long-term drug use, criminal activity,
health problems, homelessness and family break-up, government research
shows. And it's cheap, compared to locking people up in jail.

Drug and alcohol treatment is needed urgently to prevent child abuse
and neglect, concludes a two-year study by the Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse at Columbia University. ``Most parents who need
treatment don't receive it and much of the treatment is not
appropriate for these predominantly female parents.''

In a 1997 survey, child welfare agencies estimated that substance
abuse treatment was needed for two out of three parents and one out of
three pregnant women involved with the child welfare system. Treatment
was available for only 31 percent of parents and 20 percent of
pregnant women.

The plan calls for ``closing the treatment gap'' but the money
allocated won't come close to meeting the need.

``We're creating a system where you have to get into the criminal
justice system to get into treatment,'' Ehlers said. The plan stresses
drug testing for parolees, so they can be sent back to prison for
backsliding, and more drug treatment for inmates. Prison rehab has
been shown to cut recidivism. But why wait?

In announcing the plan, Gore spoke eloquently of the despair that
underlies drug abuse. ``If young people have emptiness in their lives,
if they have a lack of respect for the larger community of which they
are a part, if they don't find ways to feel connected to the adults
who are in the community, if they feel there is phoniness and
hypocrisy and corruption and immorality, then they are much more
vulnerable,'' he said.

That's very true. So we need a drug strategy that rejects the
phoniness, hypocrisy, corruption and immorality of the war on drugs.

Joanne Jacobs is a member of the Mercury News editorial board. Her
column appears on Mondays and Thursdays.

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

MP's Marijuana Motion Gathering Steam (The Toronto Globe & Mail notes Bloc
Quebecois Member of Parliament Bernard Bigras is sponsoring a motion in the
House of Commons asking the government to study the benefits of medical
marijuana. Mr. Bigras is suggesting that Health Canada conduct a three-year
research program involving 400 to 600 patients before considering legalizing
the substance. His motion will force the government to come up with a
position on this issue before it comes to a vote in May.)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Canada: MP'S MARIJUANA MOTION GATHERING STEAM
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 14:34:06 -0800
Lines: 33
Newshawk: Chris Clay
Source: Globe & Mail
Pubdate: February 11, 1999
Author: Daniel Leblanc, Parliamentary Bureau, Ottawa

MP'S MARIJUANA MOTION GATHERING STEAM

Last spring, Bloc Quebecois MP Bernard Bigras spoke to a constituent
suffering from AIDS who risked being jailed for six months every time he
smoked marijuana to alleviate his daily nausea, vomiting and pain.

Mr. Bigras is now sponsoring a motion in the House of Commons asking the
government to study the benefits of marijuana in treating the symptoms
of some illnesses. Mr. Bigras is suggesting that Health Canada conduct a
three-year research program involving 400 to 600 patients before
considering legalizing the substance.

Mr. Bigras's motion will force the government to come up with a position
on this issue before it comes to a vote in May. He currently has the
support of the Bloc, NDP and Progressive Conservative caucasus, and of
influential doctors in the Liberal caucus, including MP Carolyn Bennett
and cabinet minister Hedy Fry.

Mr. Bigras said in an interview yesterday that he is aware that he is
raising a controvertial issue.

"I don't expect that within six months of this motion, the government
will be fored to legalize marijuana," Mr. Bigras said. "I understand
that there has to be research before marijuana is approved as a drug.
I'm not stupid enough to think that the government would allow people to
grow marijuana in their backyard."

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

Howard's Drug War Strategy Misfires (An op-ed in the Age, in Melbourne,
notes the Australian Prime Minister claimed in Parliament on Tuesday that his
Government's "tough on drugs" strategy was working. The evidence? Howard
quoted figures to show that the authorities were making record seizures of
illicit drugs. But a cap of heroin on the streets of Melbourne is now about
the same price as a slab of full-strength beer. For two or three teenagers
looking for a buzz or oblivion, heroin represents good value by comparison to
booze - and it's easier to obtain. The war on drugs has failed. The function
of society is to ensure that experimentation with drugs occurs as safely as
possible and, for those who become addicted, supply and distribution is
organised so that the addicts can lead a productive life outside crime.)

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 00:16:10 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Australia: OPED: Wire: Howard's Drug War Strategy Misfires
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Russell.Ken.KW@bhp.com.au (Russell, Ken KW)
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Feb 1999
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Contact: letters@theage.fairfax.com.au
Website: http://www.theage.com.au/
Copyright: 1999 David Syme & Co Ltd

HOWARD'S DRUG WAR STRATEGY MISFIRES

A CAP of heroin on the streets of Melbourne is now about the same
price as a slab of full-strength beer. For two or three teenagers
looking for a buzz or oblivion, heroin represents good value by
comparison to booze.

Heroin is readily available, it's cheap and its purity is high
compared to a few years ago. And yet our Prime Minister claimed in
Parliament on Tuesday that his Government's "tough on drugs" strategy
is working.

The evidence? Howard quoted figures to show that the authorities are
making record seizures of illicit drugs. According to Howard, in the
first seven months of 1998-99, federal agencies have seized five times
the amount of heroin and more than twice the amount of cocaine than
the yearly average over the previous seven years.

But this tells us nothing about total imports and the supply of hard
drugs on the streets. If the higher rate of interdiction led to less
heroin and cocaine on the streets, two things would happen: prices
would rise and purity would fall as dealers diluted supplies.

In some parts of Melbourne, it is easier for an underage teenager to
get a cap of heroin than a slab of beer or a packet of smokes.
According to the Penington Report (the Premier's Drug Advisory
Council, 1996), while there is no reliable estimate of the amount of
hard drugs imported into Australia, interdiction is estimated to
capture between 3 and 10per cent of total imports. Extrapolating from
Penington, this means that unless there has been a significant
improvement in the interdiction rate, all Howard has shown is that now
there is about 10 times the heroin and four times the cocaine being
sold compared to a few years ago.

It has been blindingly obvious for more than a decade that the war on
drugs has been lost. Zero tolerance and intensification of the
criminalisation of drug users is simply a means of filling up the
privatised prison system.

In 1997, after a series of teenage heroin overdose-related deaths in
Canberra, there was strong community support for a restricted heroin
trial for addicts, which gained the approval of most state health
ministers and the federal Health Minister, Michael Wooldridge. The
program was vetoed by Howard after campaigns by the Murdoch press and
the leading Sydney "shock jocks", Alan Jones and John Laws.

According to Penington, the global turnover in illicit drugs is in the
order of $600-$800 billion a year, or the equivalent of 10 per cent of
the value of world trade. The value of the illicit drug trade in
Australia was about $7 billion a year in 1997, according to an estimate
by Access Economics. Best estimates (quoted in Local Government and
the Problem with Heroin, published by the Maribyrnong City Council)
are that 250,000 of the population used heroin in 1996 (75,000 in
Victoria), and about 60,000 (15,000 in Victoria) were dependent or
addicted users.

The numbers have continued to grow. Hard drugs are big business. The
business is sustained by occasional or recreational users rather than
addicts. The business is highly profitable because of its illegality.

According to Penington, despite being highly addictive, heroin in its
pure form is relatively non-toxic and causes little damage to body
tissue and other organs. Addicts who can afford a regular supply of
pure heroin are able to lead normal, productive lives. The damage to
addicts comes from the impurities used to adulterate the pure heroin,
the criminal lifestyle led by most addicts in order to pay for their
habit, dirty needles, and lack of quality control inherent in illegal
distribution.

Intravenous drug use is ugly and the prostitution, crime and death
associated with illicit hard drugs can easily be exploited by cynical
politicians and talkback radio hosts to create a frisson of fear in
the minds of the middle class. This can then be translated into votes
and ratings.

The truth is more prosaic. Death rates from alcohol, tobacco and road
trauma are all much higher than from illicit drug use. Youth will
experiment with drugs irrespective of the attitudes and laws of the
older generation.

The function of society is to ensure that the experimentation is as
safe as possible and, for those who become addicted, supply and
distribution is organised so that the addicts can lead a productive
life outside crime.

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

U.S. Troubled By Interpol's Myanmar Drug Meeting (According to Reuters,
the United States said Thursday it would not attend an Interpol
anti-narcotics meeting in Myanmar because it believes Yangon may use the
event to give a false picture of its drug suppression efforts.)

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 23:33:06 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Wire: US Troubled By Interpol's Myanmar Drug Meeting
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: General Pulaski
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Feb 1999
Source: Reuters
Copyright: 1999 Reuters Limited.

U.S. TROUBLED BY INTERPOL'S MYANMAR DRUG MEETING

BANGKOK, - The United States said on Thursday it had
decided not to attend an Interpol anti-narcotics meeting in Myanmar as
it believes Yangon may use the event to give a false picture of its
drug suppression efforts.

It said Interpol's decision to hold the conference in Yangon was
"troubling" and Washington wanted to avoid misunderstanding of its
policy towards Myanmar.

"The United States believes the Burmese regime could use the
conference to create the false impression that it demonstrates
international approval...for its counter-narcotics and anti-crime
efforts," a U.S. embassy spokesman quoted a State Department
statement as saying.

"Interpol's decision to hold this year's conference in Rangoon and to
structure an agenda that largely overlooks key U.S. counter-narcotics
concerns in the region, and in particular with Burma, is troubling,"
it said.

"The U.S. government will not send anyone to the meeting. and would
prefer that it be held in another location."

Myanmar is one of the world's leading producers of heroin and overseas
officials working to stem a flood of narcotics from its refineries
have expressed doubts about the military government's commitment to
eradicating the menace.

The U.S. statement said Yangon's counter-narcotics efforts, "while
improving, are far from what is necessary". In addition, Myanmar
"persists in its disregard for political and human rights", it said.

Had Interpol sought U.S. views, Washington would have advocated both a
different venue and agenda for the conference, concentrating more on
narcotics issues specific to Myanmar, "including money laundering,
corruption, smuggling and crop destruction and substitution", the
statement said.

Several European countries have said they will not attend the
meeting.

On Wednesday, Myanmar said it greatly regretted decisions by the
United States and Britain to boycott the conference. It said that as
two of the largest markets for heroin in the world, they had a
"special responsibility" to take part.

The Australia Burma Council, a Sydney-based non-governmental
organisation, has criticised Australia's planned participation, saying
it would merely serve the propaganda interests of a "brutal,
incompetent and corrupt" government.

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

Weekly Action Report on Drug Policies, Year 5, No. 6 (A summary
of European and international drug policy news, from CORA, in Italy)

Date: Sun, 14 Feb 1999 23:48:17 +0100
To: CORAFax (cora.belgique@agora.stm.it)
From: CORAFax (cora.belgique@agora.stm.it)
Subject: CORAFax #6 (EN)
Sender: owner-hemp@efn.org

ANTIPROHIBITIONIST OF THE ENTIRE WORLD ....
Year 6 #, February 11 1999

***

Weekly Action Report on Drug Policies

Edited by the CORA - Radical Antiprohibitionist Coordination, federated to
- TRP-Transnational Radical Party (NGO, consultive status, I)
- The Global Coalition for Alternatives to the Drug War

***

director: Vincenzo Donvito
All rights reserved

***

http://www.agora.stm.it/coranet
mailto:cora.news@agora.stm.it

***

NEWS FROM THE WORLD

***

000479 04/02/99
E.U. / ITALY
CONSUMERS
CORRIERE DELLA SERA

A research by the Superior Institute of Health says that among young people
one out of four has smoked a joint at least once, and one out of twenty has
sniffed cocaine.

***

000480 07/02/99
E.U. / GB
CONSUMERS
THE TIMES

A Government report says that crack users that are over 50 years old have
doubled in 1997. It seems that they use this drug to feel young and to
reduce phisical pain and depression.

***

000482 05/02/99
E.U. / NL
INITIATIVE
NEUE ZUERCHER Z.

On the third of February the Dutch Parliament has approved the beginning of
an experiment of controlled distribution of heroin directed to 750 critical
addiction cases. This widens the program started in summer 1998.

***

000483 06/02/99
E.U. / ITALY / VENICE
INITIATIVE
IL MESSAGGERO 06-07/02 / CORRIERE DELLA SERA 07/02

While the organizers of 'Forum Droghe' say that in Europe programs of
controlled distribution of heroin are gathering lots of success, the
Italian Minister of Justice participates at their congress by sending a
message that simply says 'repression is not the only answer', and the
Minister of Social Solidarity reconfirms her opposition to those methods.

***

000481 05/02/99
E.U. / SPAIN
JURISPRUDENCE
EL PAIS

Inviting someone to consume any kind of drug is a crime and is punishable
with imprisonment. This is what the Tribunal Supremo withholds, confirming
a first degree sentence.

***

000484 05/02/99
ASIA
WAR ON DRUGS
FRANKFURTER

China, Laos, Myamar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Japan have decided to
intensifie collaboration against drug traffic. Pino Arlacchi, although, has
criticised Japan for its structural and organisational deficiencies, and
has asked that it enacts more severe laws.

***

000485 08/02/99
E.U.
WAR ON DRUGS
DER SPIEGEL

Up to this day drug traffickers were hunted by sea, air and road. Having
seen the insuccess of this, UE Custom Officials are planning to concentrate
on railways. They are convinced that Asiatic drugs travel on trucks and are
then put on trains just before they have to pass the frontiers.

***

000486 09/02/99
AMERICA / USA
WAR ON DRUGS
FINANCIAL TIMES / SUEDDEUTSCHE Z.

The Government is committed to reduce the drug problem to half within year
2007. This will cost, only this year, 18 billion USD. The plan stands on
five principles: informing young people, diminishing the number of addicts,
breaking the tie between drugs and crime, stregthening frontier controls
and reducing supply.

***

CORAFax 1999

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