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

S.F. Mayor Wants Cops to Seize Drug Buyers' Cars - Goal is to curb
out-of-town customers (The San Francisco Chronicle says Willie Brown will try
to follow the lead of Oakland, across the Bay, by seeking the forfeiture of
cars driven by people accused - but not convicted - of drug and prostitution
offenses. The proposed seizure ordinance will probably be challenged by the
American Civil Liberties Union, which has unsuccessfully tried to block
Oakland's 1997 program. "We have a problem with the notion of forfeiture,"
said Alan Schlosser of the Northern California ACLU. "If someone is arrested
for sale of marijuana, which normally means a $100 fine, they can lose a
$20,000 or $30,000 automobile. Some courts have ruled that excessive." Plus a
list of San Francisco officials who can be lobbied to stop an escalation of
the drug war.)

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 07:41:36 -0500
From: "Frank S. World" (compassion23@geocities.com)
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/7417/
To: DPFCA (dpfca@drugsense.org), editor (editor@mapinc.org)
Subject: DPFCA: US CA SFC: S.F. Mayor Wants Cops to Seize
Drug Buyers' Cars Goal is to curb out-of-town customers
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Pubdate: Tuesday, May 11, 1999 (c)1999 San Francisco Chronicle

S.F. MAYOR WANTS COPS TO SEIZE DRUG BUYERS' CARS GOAL IS TO CURB OUT-OF-TOWN
CUSTOMERS

John Wildermuth, Chronicle Staff Writer

Drive-up drug buyers could find themselves pounding the pavement under a
plan that would seize the car of anyone arrested for buying drugs.

The measure was announced by Mayor Willie Brown yesterday and introduced in
the Board of Supervisors by Supervisor Amos Brown.

The new program, which also calls for seizing the cars of people soliciting
prostitutes, is similar to one that has been operating in Oakland since
1997.

``Any time we have drug dealing and/or solicitation of prostitution in our
neighborhoods, the quality of life decreases in that neighborhood,'' Mayor
Brown said. ``We cannot -- and will not -- tolerate that.''

According to the most recent San Francisco Police Department statistics,
more than half the people arrested on drug-buying charges have been
nonresidents.

``The measure targets buyers, who are frequently from out of town,'' the
mayor said. ``We want to make it more difficult for (people) to come out to
San Francisco and buy drugs. We want to send out a state-of-the-art message
saying, `Don't do drugs in San Francisco.' ''

Drying up the demand for drugs by targeting buyers would force dealers out
of business, Brown said.

Supervisor Brown echoed the mayor's concerns.

``We have a problem with people coming from other counties in their very
sleek cars'' to commit crimes, he said. ``When they leave, they leave behind
a trail of problems.''

The mayor held one of his regular meetings focusing on the city's growing
drug problem yesterday with a group of 20 federal, state and local officials.
The news he heard was not all good.

Deputy Police Chief Rich Holder described how at least four or five dealers
surrounded his car at Geary and Hyde streets one afternoon and tried to sell
him drugs.

``I was in an unmarked car on the way to the gym with my children, 3 years
old and 7 years old,'' he said. ``This is in broad daylight at 1 p.m. in the
afternoon.

``I know that those complaints you hear from the community (about brazen
drug dealing) are true.''

A recent documentary on HBO pictured San Francisco as a center for young
heroin addicts. The film showed junkies shooting up on street corners, in
alleys and in the city's new street toilets, where for a quarter, addicts
can lock themselves away for as much as 20 minutes of privacy.

The street toilets ``are not only being used as shooting galleries, but
they're also used by prostitutes to do business,'' said police Lieutenant
Kitt Crenshaw, a narcotics officer.

The documentary did not show anything local police were not aware of, the
mayor said, since there already have been alarming reports about the
increased number of drug addicts and dealers on the city streets.

``It was simply a confirmation of something that we already have been
working on,'' he said.

Although police keep making arrests, they have not stopped the problem at
such drug-dealing hot spots as the 16th and Mission BART station.

``We made 116 arrests (in that area) last month, and you go out there today
and it looks like we haven't done anything,'' Crenshaw said. ``The same
people are back out there.''

The mayor is confident that the car-seizure program would have an effect on
drug use in the city.

``Do any of those (drug users) have cars?'' he asked. ``Well they won't
anymore. Any car we get has to be at least equal to the cost of seizure, so
we should nail them all, even take the junkers.''

What will drive the seizure program, however, will not be the $200 beaters
owned by some of the junkies.

``Let one user lose a BMW, and we won't have any more users,'' the mayor
said.

Under the ordinance introduced yesterday, the car of a person who uses one
when buying drugs or soliciting a prostitute can be seized upon the person's
arrest. Even if the person is not convicted, the car can be sold by the city
if it can be shown that the vehicle was used for those illicit purposes.

Money from the sale will be divided among drug education and prevention
programs and either the district attorney or city attorney's office.

``(Drug buyers') losses will be a gain for San Francisco's drug education
programs,'' Mayor Brown said.

The proposed seizure ordinance will probably be challenged by the American
Civil Liberties Union, which has unsuccessfully tried to block the Oakland
program.

``We have a problem with the notion of forfeiture,'' said Alan Schlosser,
managing attorney for the Northern California ACLU. ``If someone is arrested
for sale of marijuana, which normally means a $100 fine, they can lose a
$20,000 or $30,000 automobile. Some courts have ruled that excessive.''

The mayor does not plan to back away from a legal battle with the ACLU,
however.

``They don't have the responsibility of cleaning the streets; we do,'' the
mayor said.

Chronicle staff writer Edward Epstein contributed to this report.

(c) 1999 San Francisco Chronicle Page A15

***

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 17:38:37 -0800
To: mattalk@islandnet.com
From: R Givens (rgivens@sirius.com)
Subject: Unbelievable article in SF Chronicle!
S.F. Mayor Wants Cops to Seize Drug Buyers' Cars
The notion of taking cars must be stopped in San Francisco. Here are the
contacts for the Sups and DA Mayor.

Call, fax and e-mail them opposing this braindead extension of drug
prohibition.

Allowing cops to plunder citizens will change police priorities and lower
protection from real crimes.

Some of the Supervisors are already opposed to this escalation of the drug
war, so voice disapproval for the idea, not the Board Member. The only ones
for this measure for sure so far are Amos Brown and Da Mayor and they can be
disuaded by public reaction. Gavin Newsome is against it. Don't know about
anybody else at the moment.

There's plenty to object to in the article below. Give 'em hell.

R Givens

***

SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND MAYOR

MEMBER
PHONE [all numbers share area code 415]
FAX
E-MAIL

Michael Yaki
554-7901
554-5163
Michael_Yaki@ci.sf.ca.us

Leslie Katz
554-5335
554-5163
Leslie_Katz@ci.sf.ca.us

Mark Leno
554-7734
554-5163
Mark_Leno@ci.sf.ca.us

Tom Ammiano
554-5144
554-5163
supammiano@aol.com

Sue Bierman
554-6661
554-6685
Sue_Bierman@ci.sf.ca.us

Amos Brown
554-7601
554-7604
Amos_Brown@ci.sf.ca.us

Barbara Kaufman
554-4880
554-4885
Barbara_Kaufman@ci.sf.ca.us

Jose Medina
554-5405
554-5163
Jose_Medina@ci.sf.ca.us

Mabel Teng
554-4981
554-4985
Mabel_Teng@ci.sf.ca.us

Leland Yee
554-7752
554-7751
Jose_Medina@ci.sf.ca.us

Gavin Newsom
554-5942
554-5163
Gavin_Newsom@ci.sf.ca.us

Mayor Willie Brown
554-7111
554-6160
DAMAYOR@ci.sf.ca.us

MAIL Address for all supervisors and the mayor:
City Hall, 401 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

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

Ex-Assistant DA Sentenced (The Houston Chronicle says Ramon Villafranca, 59,
a former assistant district attorney in Laredo, Texas, was sentenced Monday
to more than five years in prison for taking bribes from drug defendants.)

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 16:41:28 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US TX: Ex-Assistant DA Sentenced
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Art Smart (ArtSmart@neosoft.com)
Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 1999
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Section: State briefs
Copyright: 1999 Houston Chronicle
Contact: viewpoints@chron.com
Website: http://www.chron.com/
Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html

EX-ASSISTANT DA SENTENCED

LAREDO -- A former assistant district attorney was sentenced Monday to over
five years in prison for taking bribes from drug defendants.

Ramon Villafranca, 59, was convicted of extortion in January. U.S. District
Judge John Rainey sentenced Villafranca to 63 months in jail and fined him
$10,000. Prosecutors had asked Rainey to sentence Villafranca, a former band
director and middle school principal, to more than that.

Villafranca was accused of working with former state District Judge Ruben
Garcia, 64, who pleaded guilty to extortion last year and cooperated with
prosecutors. Garcia was an attorney in private practice at the time of the
alleged conspiracy, which involved promises of dismissed charges or
probation for drug defendants who paid bribes.

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

Legalizing Drugs Can Help Us Get Control (Dallas Morning News columnist
Stanley Marcus says drug dealers following the basic rules of capitalism have
turned the narcotics trade into the dominant economic force in many nations.
It is obvious that the best way to reduce the drug trade is to take the
profit out of it. Eliminate the profit by legalizing all drug products. If
the public wants alternative methods of regulation to those brought forth by
the groups that advocate the legalization of drugs, let those ideas be
discussed and debated. The president should establish a panel of
distinguished citizens to make a study of all the ideas presented and issue a
recommendation to the nation.)

Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 11:06:46 +0000
To: vignes@monaco.mc
From: Peter Webster (vignes@monaco.mc)
Subject: [] Texas: Legalizing Drugs Can Help Us Get Control
Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 1999
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 1999 The Dallas Morning News
Contact: letterstoeditor@dallasnews.com
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Forum: http://forums.dallasnews.com:81/webx
Author: Stanley Marcus

LEGALIZING DRUGS CAN HELP US GET CONTROL

The struggle against drug trafficking and drug addiction never has received
wholehearted support from our body politic.

Educators, industrialists, physicians and religious leaders probably are
more opposed to the use of life-impairing drugs than are most families,
which cherish the illusion that narcotics never will reach them.

The federal government, with its misconceptions about drugs' potential to
destroy lives and its lateness in recognizing adolescents' vulnerability,
has preferred to conduct its attack on drugs feebly and intermittently.

First, the government's efforts were labeled as a "fight," then a "crusade"
and finally, when those titles didn't work, a "war" against drugs.

After others failed to get the respect of drug lords, the administration in
Washington appointed a retired general to lead the war against drugs.

At the present rate, it is likely that a team consisting of the chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretary of defense and the secretary of
state will deal with drug traffickers who have made billions from the
free-enterprise system.

Drug dealers have followed the basic rules of the capitalist system, turning
the narcotics trade into the dominant economic force in many nations. It is
so obvious that the best way of reducing the drug trade is taking the profit
out of it.

The eradication of the drug trade may lie in a completely fresh strategy:
Eliminate the profit by legalizing all drug products. Drugs would be sold
solely at government-operated shops through prescriptions from physicians.

One thing is certain: The drug business won't evaporate by wishing and
hoping. It will dry up when the business no longer is profitable.

If the public wants alternative methods of regulation to those brought forth
by the groups that advocate the legalization of drugs, let those ideas be
discussed and debated.

And let retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, our drug czar, continue with his
efforts, despite the fact that the volume of drugs is reported to have
reached an all-time high.

But the president should establish a panel of distinguished citizens to make
a study of all the ideas presented and issue a recommendation to the nation.

We all will feel better if the solution comes from the public. It may take
three or four years to accomplish, but we already have wasted more than that
amount of time.

After all, we need to leave a bequest to our successors in the 21st
century - a legacy by which the 20th century may be fairly judged.

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

Akron policeman accused of helping alleged drug dealer (The Associated Press
says Timothy Callahan, a police lieutenant accused of running license plate
numbers for an alleged drug dealer, is only the latest police officer to get
in trouble in Akron, Ohio.)

From: GranVizier@webtv.net
Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 21:18:36 -0400 (EDT)
To: cp@telelists.com
Subject: [cp] Akrons' Finest

http://flash.cleveland.com/cgi-bin/clv_nview.pl?/home1/wire/AP/
Stream-Parsed/OHIO_NEWS/o0225_AM_OH--TroubledPolice

Akron policeman accused of helping alleged drug dealer

The Associated Press
05/11/99 4:29 PM Eastern

AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- A police lieutenant accused of running license plate
numbers for an alleged drug dealer is the latest city police officer to
get in trouble.

Lt. Timothy Callahan, of Akron, was expected to be suspended Tuesday for
15 days without pay, said police Chief Edward Irvine. He said no other
discipline was planned.

Callahan could not be reached to comment. Messages were left at his
office and at a residential listing in his name.

Irvine said he started investigating Callahan recently after receiving a
tip from an undercover police officer. He said Callahan ran license
plate numbers on two different cars last year at the request of a
friend. He didn't know if Callahan knew the man was a reputed drug
dealer.

The friend, whose name wasn't released, wanted to know who owned the two
cars because he suspected they belonged to undercover police officers,
Irvine said. He said the man then bragged about Callahan's assistance to
another friend who was an undercover narcotics officer.

The police department has been troubled by so many problems that Mayor
Don Plusquellic ordered an investigation last month into why some
officers become criminals.

Some of the disciplinary actions involving police officers:

-- In the last two years, a deputy chief has been convicted of theft and
a captain has been convicted of murder.

-- A former lieutenant and an honored sergeant have been indicted as the
result of a raid on a prostitution ring.

-- Several other officers have retired while under investigation of
allegations ranging from sexual harassment to viewing pornography.

-- An officer was suspended last year for circulating an allegedly
racist newsletter within the department.

Irvine himself has been investigated for allegations that he abused his
wife. A police report cleared him of those charges in January, but
Plusquellic ordered a separate review Saturday after the Akron Beacon
Journal reported there were flaws in the investigation.

Plusquellic has said he stands by the findings of the police report and
the way it was conducted but wants to prove the investigation was not
flawed.

Irvine said he stands behind his department.

"We don't have anything to hide," he said. "Once an investigation
starts, you have to let the chips fall as they may."

(c) The Associated Press, 1999

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

Deaths Linked To Drugs, Alcohol (A Cox Interactive Media article in the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes the deaths last week of two sports
celebrities from substance abuse - while suggesting that alcohol is not a
drug. Carolina Hurricanes hockey player Steve Chiasson had a blood-alcohol
level of 0.27 percent when he overturned his truck in North Carolina, and
former Dallas Cowboys star Mark Tuinei injected heroin in Texas while using
ecstasy.)

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 19:21:16 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US GA: Deaths Linked To Drugs, Alcohol
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: ashley in atlanta (cheech_wizard@mindspring.com)
Pubdate: 05/11/1999
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 1999 Cox Interactive Media.
Contact: legis@ajc.com
Website: http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/
Forum: http://www.accessatlanta.com/community/forums/

DEATHS LINKED TO DRUGS, ALCOHOL

Substance abuse contributed to the deaths last week of Carolina
Hurricanes hockey player Steve Chiasson and former Dallas Cowboys star
Mark Tuinei.

Chiasson's blood-alcohol level was 0.27 percent, more than three times
the legal limit, when he was killed in a pickup truck accident on May
3. The limit in North Carolina is 0.08.

Chiasson, 32, overturned his truck and was ejected from the vehicle
after leaving a party at the home of teammate Gary Roberts, hours
after the Hurricanes had been eliminated from the playoffs. He was not
wearing a seatbelt.

Chiasson's teammate Kevin Dineen said Chiasson refused to wait for a
taxi and decided to drive to his nearby home.

In Texas, a police affidavit revealed Tuinei, 39, injected heroin the
night before he died. In the court document, Cowboys running back
Nicky Sualua told police Tuinei also used the stimulant Ecstasy.

Sualua said he and Tuinei went to a Dallas apartment to get the heroin
and "Mark went into the bedroom, and he said, 'Here it is.' "

"When Mark came back to the living room, he looked as if he was
passing out. Nicky advised (that) Mark started having problems and
stopped breathing," the affidavit said.

Sualua said Tuinei was alive when he dragged the 6-foot-5, 320-pound
ex-offensive lineman from the apartment to his car. Sualua then drove
to Tuinei's house in suburban Dallas.

Sualua slept in the car with Tuinei until about 5:30 a.m. Thursday, he
told police. "When Nicky woke up, Mark was not breathing," the document
said.

In addition to heroin, Sualua said Tuinei had used Ecstasy, a hybrid of the
hallucinogen mescaline and the stimulant amphetamine, at Tuinei's house
earlier Wednesday evening.

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

Drugs May Have Been Major Factor In Death For Former Cowboys Star (The
Charlotte Observer version)

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 19:21:27 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US TX: Drugs May Have Been Major Factor In Death For Former
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: General Pulaski
Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 1999
Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)
Copyright: 1999 The Charlotte Observer
Contact: opinion@charlotte.com
Website: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/

DRUGS MAY HAVE BEEN MAJOR FACTOR IN DEATH FOR FORMER COWBOYS STAR

Former Dallas Cowboys star Mark Tuinei used the drug Ecstasy and
apparently took heroin the night before he died last week, a team
player told police.

Tuinei, 39, who helped lead Dallas to three Super Bowl titles, died
Thursday after a friend found him unconscious in his car outside his
Plano, Texas, home.

Court documents state Cowboys running back Nicky Sualua said he spent
Wednesday evening with Tuinei. Sualua said he and Tuinei went to a
Dallas apartment to get heroin.

"When Mark came back to the living room, he looked as if he was
passing out. Nicky advised (that) Mark started having problems and
stopped breathing," the court affidavit said.

Sualua said he performed CPR, and Tuinei was alive when he dragged the
6-foot-5, 320-pound ex-offensive lineman to his car. Sualua said he
drove to Tuinei's house, got two blankets and they slept in the car
until about 5:30 a.m.

"When Nicky woke up, Mark was not breathing," said the
document.

Sualua also said Tuinei used Ecstasy, a stimulant, at Tuinei's house
Wednesday evening, according to the Collin County Court document.

Tuinei, who retired in 1997, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Further toxicology tests were expected today.

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

Dying man wins right to use marijuana (The National Post says Ontario
Superior Court Justice Harry LaForme yesterday granted Jim Wakeford, a
Toronto AIDS patient, a constitutional exemption from Canada's drug laws,
allowing him to cultivate and smoke marijuana. The ruling is temporary,
until Allan Rock, the Health Minister, decides whether to grant Mr. Wakeford
a special exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, but it
implies that the judge expects Mr. Rock to eventually grant a permanent
exemption. This is the second time a Canadian court has allowed the medicinal
use of marijuana, but the first time a higher court has done so. Mr.
Wakeford, whose illness prevents him from growing marijuana on his own, said
he fears the decision may be only a partial victory because the judge did not
say whether the friends who take care of him can legally help him grow
cannabis.)

From: creator@drugsense.org (Cannabis Culture)
To: cclist@drugsense.org
Subject: CC: Dying man wins right to use marijuana
Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 04:16:39 -0700
Lines: 92
Sender: creator@drugsense.org
Reply-To: creator@drugsense.org
Organization: Cannabis Culture (http://www.cannabisculture.com/)
Source: The National Post
Contact: letters@nationalpost.com
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Pubdate: Tuesday, May 11, 1999
Author: Luiza Chwialkowska

Dying man wins right to use marijuana

A Toronto man dying with AIDS has won the right to cultivate, produce, and
smoke marijuana for medical purposes.

Justice Harry LaForme of the Ontario Superior Court yesterday granted Jim
Wakeford, a Toronto AIDS activist, a constitutional exemption from criminal
prosecution under Canada's drug laws.

The ruling temporarily allows Mr. Wakeford to use marijuana until Allan
Rock, the Health Minister, decides whether to grant Mr. Wakeford a special
exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

"Mr. Wakeford's application is bona fide, for a legitimate medical purpose,
and one which merits genuine consideration," wrote Judge LaForme, whose
ruling implied that he expected Mr. Rock to eventually grant a permanent
exemption.

"I am gratified and exhilarated. I was granted some relief," Mr. Wakeford,
54, said yesterday.

This is the second time a Canadian court has allowed the medicinal use of
marijuana, but the first time a higher court has done so.

"Jim can now possess and grow marijuana, and, I presume, walk down the
street smoking it," said Alan Young, an Osgoode Hall law professor and Mr.
Wakeford's lawyer. The victory will open the door to other terminally ill
patients who seek relief from the courts, he added.

"This decision shows that a court would be willing to provide
constitutional remedies if the government is unwilling to help people like
Jim," said Mr. Young. "Anybody who is in a similar situation to Jim's
could apply for a constitutional exemption while the government scrambles
to figure out its marijuana policy."

However, Mr. Wakeford said he fears the decision may be only a partial
victory because the judge did not say whether the friends who take care of
him can legally help him grow cannabis.

"The judge did not deal with the issue of caregivers and supply," said Mr.
Wakeford, the founder of Casey House, Canada's first free-standing AIDS
hospice.

He says his illness prevents him from growing marijuana on his own. "I grew
a crop last year with a great deal of help from friends. I'm not a
professional grower."

Nonetheless, the ruling is a long-awaited victory for Mr. Wakeford, who had
asked the court in February, 1998, for permission to use marijuana. He and
his doctor, Toronto AIDS specialist John Goodhew, testified the drug had
helped keep Mr. Wakeford alive by countering the destructive side effects
of his anti-viral medication, such as loss of appetite.

Last year, he came close to death as the side effects of his medication
caused his weight to drop to 116 pounds from 140.

Judge LaForme had dismissed the demand last September, noting Mr. Wakeford
could request a special exemption from the health minister. Mr. Wakeford
returned to court last week, demonstrating he had applied for such
permission months ago and is still waiting for his application to wind its
way through a byzantine bureaucratic process at Health Canada.

After hearing a Health Canada official testify about the process for
processing applications, the judge agreed it is too slow and untested to
adequately protect Mr. Wakeford's rights.

"It is unknown whether or not the process can work or even if it is capable
of doing so, and if so, can it do so in a meaningful and timely fashion,"
Judge LaForme wrote, after listening to the testimony of Carole Bouchard,
an official for Health Canada.

"Ms. Bouchard said that the process to consider [medical marijuana]
applications was only beginning. She said the structure and personnel to
review application is not complete, and she cannot say how long it will
take to consider and decide upon Mr. Wakeford's application," the judge
noted.

He said he was pleased by the Health Department's work. "I am personally
impressed and comforted by the action of the government on the issue of
medical marijuana," he wrote.

The government may yet appeal the decision, said Derek Kent, a spokesman
for Mr. Rock. The minister intends to present a research plan on the
medical use of marijuana before the House rises for the summer, Mr. Kent
said.

***

CClist, the electronic news and information service of Cannabis Culture
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the command "unsubscribe cclist".

***

Subscribe to Cannabis Culture Magazine!
Write to: 324 West Hastings Street, Vancouver BC, CANADA, V6B 1A1
Call us at: (604) 669-9069, or fax (604) 669-9038. Visit Cannabis
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***

Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 20:32:31 -0400
From: Neev (neev@connection.com)
To: Mattalk (mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com)
Subject: LaForme's Decision

Judge LaForme's decision in Wakeford vs The Queen can be found at:

http://www.interlog.com/~wakeford

forgive the crude html coding

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

Judge allows medical use of marijuana (The Toronto Star verson)

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 11:22:03 -0400
To: mattalk@islandnet.com
From: Dave Haans (haans@chass.utoronto.ca)
Subject: TorStar: Judge allows medical use of marijuana
Newshawk: Dave Haans
Source: The Toronto Star (Canada)
Pubdate: Tuesday, May 11, 1999
Page: A6
Website: http://www.thestar.com
Contact: lettertoed@thestar.com
Authors: Barbara Turnbull and Tracey Tyler, Toronto Star Staff Reporters

Judge allows medical use of marijuana

AIDS patient awaits health ministry ruling on medical treatment

A Toronto man dying of AIDS has won a constitutional exemption from being
prosecuted for using marijuana as medical treatment to relieve symptoms of
his disease.

Saying he was ``personally impressed and comforted'' by the federal
government's action on the medical use of marijuana, Mr. Justice Harry
LaForme granted Jim Wakeford an interim exemption until Health Minister
Allan Rock rules on the case.

``I'm in shock and I'm ecstatic,'' Wakeford, 54, said after yesterday's
landmark ruling by the Ontario Superior Court judge. ``This is a big
victory for a lot of people.''

LaForme had dismissed Wakeford's request for an exemption last fall when
federal lawyers argued the terminally ill man should apply directly to Rock
using a provision of the Controlled Drug and Substances Act.

But the judge decided to reopen the case after hearing new evidence last
week that showed the government had never had an application process.

``They've been hoping that I'd croak along the way and it (the issue) would
go away for a while,'' said Wakeford, who uses marijuana to stimulate his
appetite and combat pain and nausea.

Wakeford dutifully applied to Rock for an exemption after LaForme's ruling
last September, but his request has been in bureaucratic limbo.

Carole Bouchard, a senior health department official, testified last week
that, although his application would be fast-tracked, she couldn't say when
a decision would be made.

Despite the delays - it took the government two months to acknowledge
Wakeford's application - LaForme said there has been progress. An
application process was set up on the eve of last week's hearing.

But LaForme criticized the government for blatant unfairness in demanding
Wakeford identify the source of his marijuana supply in conjunction with
his application.

``Given that there are no legal sources of marijuana in Canada, I would
hope that Mr. Wakeford would not be jeopardizing his application by
exercising his legal right not to answer what I view as an unfair question.''

Wakeford's lawyer, Alan Young, said LaForme's ruling will have implications
for 20 other Canadians with chronic or terminal illnesses who have applied
to Rock for the same type of exemption.

``This exerts tremendous pressure on the government, because I would think
the government would like to have control of this process, rather than have
it thrust on them by a court of law,'' he said.

Derek Kent, a spokesperson for Rock, called the ruling a positive
development that underscores the government's good faith on the issue.

But the federal government is appealing a lower court decision in 1997 to
stay marijuana possession charges against Torontonian Terry Parker, who
uses the drug to cope with epilepsy.

``I have a lot of problems with (claims of) `good faith,' '' said Young.
One example of ``bad faith'' by the government is the Parker appeal, he said.

Another is Bouchard's admission health officials have not spoken with their
counterparts in the justice department about a moratorium on charging
people who smoke pot for medical reasons, Young said.

***

Dave Haans
Graduate Student, University of Toronto
WWW: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca:8080/~haans/

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

Toronto AIDS Patient May Use Marijuana (The UPI version)

Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 03:24:50 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Canada: Toronto Aids Patient May Use Marijuana
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: EWCHIEF
Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 1999
Source: United Press International
Copyright: 1999 United Press International

TORONTO AIDS PATIENT MAY USE MARIJUANA

TORONTO, - The Canadian government has indicated that it
does not intend to appeal an Ontario court ruling that permits a
Toronto AIDS patient from using marijuana for medicinal purposes.

However, federal Health Minister Allan Rock said today the Ontario
Superior Court ruling does not mean that smoking marijuana has been
legalized.

Rock was commenting on the court ruling handed down on Monday giving
54-year-old Jim Wakeford a constitutional exemption from being
prosecuted if he smoked marijuana to relieve his sympton.

Justice Harry LaForme also ruled that Wakeford would not have to
inform the government where he obtained the marijuana.

In March, Rock told reporters his department would carry out clinical
tests that could lead to the legalization of marjijana for medicinal
purposes.

Wakeford first applied in September for exemption from prosecution so
he could smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, but LaForme rejected
his request then, after federal lawyers argued that he should apply
directly to Rock.

Last week, Laforme reopened the case after learning that the federal
government ad never had an application process until the eve of the
case being reopened.

The judge also criticized the government's slowness in dealing with
Wakeford's case, and said it was unfair for officials to have required
him to disclose the source of his marijuana supply.

Wakeford became the second person in Toronto to receive court
permission to used marijuana for medicinal purposes.

In 1997, a lower court stayed marijuana possession charges against
Terry Parker, who said he needed the drug to treat epilepsy symptoms.
The federal government has appealed that decision.

The federal health department has not said whether it has completed
its clinical tests, but says it plans to make an announcement next
month.

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

Chikarovski Admits She Smoked Marijuana (The Associated Press says New South
Wales Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski has admitted smoking marijuana
while at university. But Chikarovski said the drug should not be legalised in
Australia because it was much stronger now than in her youth. Her candour is
certain to cause a stir less than a week before a drug summit begins in the
NSW parliament.)

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 03:16:38 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Australia: Chikarovski Admits She Smoked Marijuana
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Kenneth William Russell
Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 1999
Source: Associated Press
Copyright: 1999 Associated Press

CHIKAROVSKI ADMITS SHE SMOKED MARIJUANA

New South Wales Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski has admitted
smoking marijuana while at university. But Chikarovski said the drug
should not be legalised because it was much stronger now than in her
youth.

"Do you want me to use the Clinton defence? Did I inhale?" Chikarovski
told ABC radio when asked if she had tried dope.

"Look, let me say I had a couple of goes of marijuana when I was at
uni and enough to make me realise that this was not the sort of thing
I liked to do.

"What scares me I suppose, worse than that, is that I'm told that the
marijuana that's available now is 30 times stronger that what was
around when my generation was using it."

Her candour is certain to cause a stir less than a week before a drug
summit begins in the NSW parliament.

She said current anti-marijuana laws should be enforced and was
against any change in the law.

"My view is we don't want to encourage people to use drugs and I would
have thought making it legal in fact encourages more use," she said.

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

Chikarovski admits inhaling (The ABC Radio version)

Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 07:08:45 +0930
To: "Pot News from hemp SA" (pot-news@beetroot.va.com.au)
From: "Cyber Andy :^)" (duffy@newave.net.au)
Subject: [pot-news] Chikarovski admits inhaling

***

Pot News - Hemp SA's On-line News Service

***

Chikarovski admits inhaling
(ABC Radio transcript)
Tuesday 11 May, 1999 (7:39am AEST)

Opposition leader Kerry Chikarovski has admitted trying marijuana at
university but says she is against its decriminalisation because of its
potency these days.

The Coalition and the ALP will today decide whether to give MPs a free vote
at next week's drug summit.

At today's ALP caucus prior to the first sitting of Parliament since the
election, Premier Bob Carr says he will recommend Labor members get a free
vote on summit resolutions.

Opposition leader Kerry Chikarovski would not pre-empt her party-room
decision on a conscience vote for her team.

On ABC Regional radio yesterday Mrs Chikarovski firmly stated her opposition
to marijuana decriminalisation based on her experiences two decades ago.

"Let me say I had a couple of goes of marijuana when I was at uni," Mrs
Chikarovski said.

"I'm now told the marijuana that is available now is 30 times stronger than
what was around when my generation were using it and that's one of the
reasons I'm not in favour of decriminalising it."

***

HEMP SA Inc - Help End Marijuana Prohibition South Australia
PO Box 1019 Kent Town South Australia 5071
Email: mailto:hempSA@va.com.au
Website: (http://www.hemp.on.net.au)

Check out our on-line news service - Pot News!

To subscribe to Pot News
send mailto:subscribe-pot-news@lists.va.com.au

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

MP Who Was Stoned In Parly Says Several MPs Smoke Grass (According to the
Associated Press, Richard Jones, an upper house member of parliament, said
today he used marijuana every couple of weeks to relieve stress and had once
been "stoned" in parliament. Jones also said at least six New South Wales MPs
currently smoke marijuana, and at least half the 135 MPs would have used
marijuana, based on a survey of federal parliamentarians. Jones also
disagreed with Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski's claim that the herb is
30 times stronger now than it was in her youth. "That's simply not true
because in those days we used to have Buddha sticks and Lebanese wedding hash
and Durban poison," he said.)

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 03:24:06 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Australia: MP Who Was Stoned In Parly Says Several MPs Smoke
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Kenneth William Russell
Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 1999
Source: Associated Press
Copyright: 1999 Associated Press

MP WHO WAS STONED IN PARLY SAYS SEVERAL MPS SMOKE GRASS

Several New South Wales MPs currently smoked marijuana, according to
upper house MP Richard Jones, who said today he used the illegal drug
to relieve stress and had once been stoned in parliament.

The independent also welcomed state opposition leader Kerry
Chikarovski's revelation she smoked marijuana while at university in
the 1970s.

Less than one week before a drug summit at parliament house, Mrs
Chikarovski quipped on US President Bill Clinton's famous defence of
his dope smoking.

"Do you want me to use the Clinton defence? Did I inhale?" she said on
ABC Radio.

Mr Jones, a former Democrat, told journalists: "I actually wonder if
she ever exhaled, in fact.

"I think she's qualified herself for the drug summit because most of
the people there have used drugs of one form or another."

Mrs Chikarovski said the drug should not be legalised because she
believed it was 30 times stronger now than it was when her generation
used it.

Mr Jones disagreed with her claim.

"That's simply not true because in those days we used to have Buddha
sticks and Lebanese wedding hash and Durban poison," he said.

"We had a lot imported in those days and now it's mostly homegrown,
and it's not any stronger, I can assure you."

Mr Jones said he believed at least six MPs smoked marijuana and at
least half the 135 MPs would have used marijuana, based on a survey of
federal parliamentarians.

He said he had been stoned in parliament house once four or five years
ago and now used marijuana once every fortnight.

"Sometimes I get really stressed out and then I have a couple of tokes
of a joint and I meditate for one or two hours and it really brings me
down tremendously," he said.

He took the opportunity to take a swipe at former upper house
president Max Willis, who was caught presiding over the chamber drunk.

"I have never spoken in the house, I don't think, that I recall, when
I'm stoned," he said.

"Nor have I been in there when I'm drunk either, which is very common,
of course, for other people."

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

Conscience Vote At Drug Summit (The Daily Telegraph, in Australia, says Labor
MPs are likely to be given a conscience vote on all issues at next week's
drug summit. Premier Bob Carr said delegates would vote on a wide range of
issues May 17-21 at New South Wales Parliament.)

Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 18:21:28 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Australia: Conscience Vote At Drug Summit
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Kenneth William Russell
Pubdate: Tue, 11 May 1999
Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Copyright: News Limited 1999
Contact: dtmletr@matp.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/
Author: Rachel Morris

CONSCIENCE VOTE AT DRUG SUMMIT

Labor MPs Are Likely To Be Given A Conscience Vote On All Issues At Next
Week's Drug Summit.

Premier Bob Carr said delegates would vote on a wide range of issues
including the use of safe injecting rooms or "shooting galleries" during the
May 17-21 meeting at NSW Parliament.

Mr Carr was forced to defend the invitation list after Director of Public
Prosecutions Nick Cowdery, a critic of the Government's drug policy, was not
among the 80 non-parliamentary participants.

A full Caucus meeting will decide today on whether Labor MPs will be given a
conscience vote, but Mr Carr said he "expected" the matter would be passed
without any problems.

Mr Carr said he hoped all MPs would be "free" to vote with their consciences
on issues rather than along traditional party lines.

"I think not to have a free vote means that the debate is transferred from
the summit on the floor of the Parliament into the party room, where it
takes place behind closed doors," Mr Carr said.

Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovksi said a joint party room meeting today
would decide on the Coalition stance but she did not want to "prejudge" the
outcome.

Traditionally MPs are freed from party voting constraints when voting on
"matters of conscience" such as abortion.

Members of the Upper House were last year granted a conscience vote by their
parties when Parliament was asked to consider the sacking of Supreme Court
Judge Vince Bruce.

Meanwhile, Mr Carr said there was "simply not enough room" to accommodate Mr
Cowdery.

Mr Carr conceded Mr Cowdery could have made a valuable contribution to the
summit but said his views "were already well known".

The Premier and Mr Cowdery have clashed on numerous occasions over the ALP's
law and order policies since the Government was first elected in 1995.

Mr Cowdery supports a heroin trial in NSW and the establishment of
accredited heroin injecting rooms in areas like Kings Cross and Cabramatta.

According to the summit's agenda released yesterday, there will be 15
official speakers including Police Commissioner Peter Ryan and Major Brian
Watters of the Salvation Army.

The 65 non-parliamentary delegates include common law Chief Judge James
Wood, entertainer Normie Rowe and Reverend Ray Richmond who is currently
operating a heroin injecting room in Kings Cross.

Another 42 non-parliamentary delegates including National Rugby League chief
Neil Whittaker will attend but will not have full voting rights.

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

NSW Drug Summit Website (A list subscriber forwards the URL where daily
updates on the New South Wales drug-policy conference May 17-21 will be
posted. The site will also feature updates on daily proceedings and a
discussion forum.)

From: "Ken Russell" (kenbo01@ozemail.com.au)
To: "DRCTalk Reformers' Forum" (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: NSW Drug Summit Website
Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 12:36:48 +1000
Sender: owner-drctalk@drcnet.org

Here's a chance to participate!

Ken

***

The website of the NSW Drug Summit was opened yesterday at

http://www.nsw.gov.au/drugsummit1999

The site contains current information about the agenda for the Drug Summit,
and during 17-21 May will be updated each day with Hansard proceedings of the
plenary sessions.

The site also has a moderated on line discussion forum, which will be
regularly summarised and provided to Working Groups and the Drug Summit
Chairs during proceedings.

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

Desperate Parents Doling Out Heroin (The Sydney Morning Herald, in Australia,
says a network of Sydney parents, terrified that their addicted children will
die alone in a laneway, are allowing heroin use at home - and in some cases
financing and doling out the drug in a bid to stabilise their children's
habit. The families, who have counterparts and supporters in Brisbane, have
effectively created an underground drug resistance movement in a bid to stop
their children resorting to crime and prostitution to finance their habits.
They argue that stabilising drug dependency and guaranteeing safety during
use allows parents and families to buy time, while a "zero tolerance"
approach is tantamount to "standing by and allowing them to die.")

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 04:29:11 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Australia: Desperate Parents Doling Out Heroin
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Kenneth William Russell
Pubdate: 11 May 1999
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Contact: letters@smh.fairfax.com.au
Website: http://www.smh.com.au/
Author: Paola Totaro

DESPERATE PARENTS DOLING OUT HEROIN

A network of Sydney parents, terrified that their addicted children will
die alone in a laneway, are allowing heroin use at home - and in some cases
financing and doling out the drug in a bid to stabilise their children's
habit.

The families, who have counterparts and supporters in Brisbane, have
effectively created an underground drug resistance movement in a bid to
stop their children resorting to crime and prostitution to finance their
habits.

They argue that stabilising drug dependency and guaranteeing safety during
use allows parents and families to buy time, while a "zero tolerance"
approach is tantamount to "standing by and allowing them to die".

Their efforts have been revealed six days before the start of the NSW Drug
Summit, established by the Premier to draw out expert debate on law
reforms, treatment and rehabilitation.

Ms Elly Inta, a Sydney nurse and mother who has opened her home in the past
to addicted teenagers, says there are many families who have "taken things
into their own hands".

"We want to keep our kids alive," she said. "We don't want our children to
be taking drugs or illegal substances and we don't want to commit illegal
acts.

"But if that will keep our kids alive, there is no question that is what we
will do. As a mother, to me the instinct is to keep them alive."

Ms Inta is reluctant to talk about her personal experience in a bid to
protect her son's privacy. But she confirms that she allowed her home to be
used for drug use although she never procured drugs and purposely never
witnessed their injection.

"Only today, I was speaking to a group of people, there were about a dozen.
I explained to them how I coped at the time. Afterwards a woman came up to
me in tears saying that if only she had had the courage to do what we did,
her son might still be be alive."

Ms Pat Assheton, founder of Drug Aid, a similar family support organisation
in Brisbane, confirms that parents in Queensland are also taking matters
into their own hands.

Ms Assheton, whose son Guy died at 26, argues that keeping children alive
until their habit can be stabilised and rehabilitation becomes a realistic
option is an important part of a multi-faceted approach to the problem.

She argues that there must be boundaries for drug-dependent children and
that these must be realistic. "Once they are dependent, it becomes an acute
central nervous system disorder ... those who argue 'just say no' are
putting parents, children and siblings in a no-win situation," she said
yesterday. "Every day for the person, the morgue beckons.

"The only way to save a sibling when they are in acute dependency is to
make sure they are using safely. Now, I've been called civilly disobedient
but I am calling the Government morally disobedient and morally bankrupt."

Ms Assheton argues that once you work with the addicted child, stabilising
the habit is possible - reducing from $1,000 a day to $100 or even $50,
enough to at least diminish the craving.

After that, other approaches can be used to begin rehabilitation.

"The war in the household can then be stopped, the drug-dependent member
won't go into the toilet and die ... where his or her epitaph will have to
read, 'I died in a toilet'," she said.

"It takes needles out of the parks, it takes crime off the streets and you
allow the parents the right to care for their drug-dependent sick and injured.

"It's not a total solution but it's the only one we have until we get real
around this issue. Because after all our kids are only the target market
and end product of drug cartels and corrupt officials."

Mr Tony Trimingham, founder of Family Drug Support, says calls to the
Sydney-based support line reveal that many parents are not only to keeping
their children at home but, in some cases, accompanying them or financing
their heroin habit in a last-ditch attempt to protect them from viruses or
overdose.

"You see, we have many people who have lost children who would now say that
they wish they had done all of that," he said.

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

[End]