Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 09:26:49 -0700

Subject:UK: Drugs Czar 'Wrong On Cannabis' Up TOC

Newshawk: Jane Marcus
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2002
Source: BBC News (UK Web)
Copyright: 2002 BBC
Contact: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/forum/
Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/558

DRUGS CZAR 'WRONG ON CANNABIS'

One of Britain's most senior police officers has criticised former drugs
czar Keith Hellawell for his opposition to the reclassification of cannabis.

Mr Hellawell, who lost his high profile post last year, announced on
Wednesday that he had quit as a part-time government drugs adviser.

He said the government was going "soft on drugs" after its decision to
downgrade cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug.

'Surprise'

But Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Ian Blair said the former West
Yorkshire Chief Constable was completely wrong in his thinking.

"I am a bit surprised really by Keith's position on this issue," he told
BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We in the Metropolitan Police and the Association of Chief Police Officers
fully support the reclassification of cannabis."

The Home Secretary David Blunkett announced the change on Wednesday.

Ian Blair 'surprised' at Hellawell's position

It followed a pilot scheme in Lambeth, south London, where police turned a
blind eye to cannabis possession to spend more time cracking down on hard
drugs.

Mr Hellawell argued that the decision to reclassify sent misleading
messages to parents and children about the danger of cannabis.

Critics

Mr Blair said: "There is certainly a truth in that we have got to get our
communication right.

"The Home Secretary was very clear yesterday - we are very clear - that
cannabis remains a harmful drug.

"But the whole point here, as the Home Secretary said yesterday, is there
is no point in telling young people that all drugs are equally awful."

Mr Blair answered critics, including London Labour MP Kate Hoey, who said
that the pilot scheme led to an increase of drug dealers on the streets.

"There is certainly no evidence of drug tourism occurring in Lambeth - the
people being arrested in Lambeth live in Lambeth," he said.

Defence

Mr Blunkett defended his decision on Thursday.

Appearing on BBC Radio 5 Live, the home secretary was asked where people
should buy cannabis.

He said: "They shouldn't, because it is illegal.

"Secondly, it is dangerous, but it is nowhere near as dangerous in terms of
killing people as crack is or heroin, and it does not destroy people in the
same way."
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom

 
 


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web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 09:33:15 -0700

Subject:HI: Medical Marijuana Users Claim Police Harassing Them Up TOC

Newshawk: Rev. Dennis Shields
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2002
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)
Copyright: 2002 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Contact: letters@starbulletin.com
Website: http://www.starbulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/196
Author: Rod Thompson

MEDICAL MARIJUANA USERS CLAIM POLICE HARASSING THEM

The Kona patients say officers block their legal use of the drug

KAILUA-KONA) Three Kona residents say Big Island police are blocking them
from legally using marijuana for medical purposes.

Rhonda Robison, her husband, John, and their house guest Kealoha Wells were
arrested Monday at their Kalaoa, North Kona, home for allegedly promoting a
detrimental drug. Police seized 20 marijuana plants and 1.5 ounces of
processed marijuana, Rhonda Robison said.

John Robison and Wells have leukemia, and Rhonda Robison has a form of
muscular dystrophy. They have permits to use marijuana under the state law
that allows medical marijuana users to have seven plants each, plus one
ounce of processed marijuana each, Robison said.

Police told them there would have been no arrests if each person's supply
had been separated from the others or if each plant was labeled with the
owner's name, Robison said. The law does not require that, she said.

The Robisons were arrested twice before, in March and November of last
year. No charges were filed then or on Monday.

Because police have seized their plants each time they start to mature, the
couple has never grown usable plants, Robison said.

In November, police seized John Robison's carpentry tools because they
might have been used to construct a setup to grow marijuana, and seized the
couple's computer because it might have contained evidence of marijuana
sales, Robison said.

The couple petitioned the Attorney General, and their property was returned
about two weeks ago, Robison said.

They think the return of their property incited police. "They weren't happy
with that. This makes me honestly believe we're just targeted," she said.

Kona Criminal Investigation Division Capt. Julian Shiroma denied that.
"That was never our intent, and it is not our intent to seek retribution,"
he said.

"We responded to a report from a concerned citizen," Shiroma said. A search
warrant was approved by a judge, he said.

John Robison was diagnosed 10 years ago with acute lymphocytic leukemia,
his wife said. Doctors consider it a miracle he is alive, she said.

Wells was diagnosed with the same disease recently and just returned Friday
from three weeks of radiation therapy, Rhonda Robison said.

A 1974 study of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive substance in
marijuana, showed it reduced tumors in three kinds of cancer, including
virus-induced leukemia, she said.

However, other research, including from the University of California-Los
Angeles, indicates that marijuana smoke, which includes THC and about 400
other substances, may promote cancer.

Still, John Robison attributes his long-term survival to marijuana use, his
wife said.

Rhonda Robison uses it to treat Charco-Marie-Tooth disease, a form of
muscular dystrophy.

When John Robison saw police outside the Robison house at 7 a.m. Monday, he
said, "Here they come again to get us," Rhonda Robison said.

"You do understand we are medical marijuana users?" she asked police. They
said the problem was not having plants individually labeled. Robison said
she had prepared such labels but had not yet put them on the plants.

Shiroma said the search was done after consulting with the county
prosecutor and the state Narcotics Enforcement Division.

State Public Safety head Ted Sakai, whose responsibilities include
narcotics, said there is no requirement for separate storage or labeling of
plants when more than one medical user lives in a house.

The ultimate decision on searches and arrests lie with police, he said. The
police action shows a gray area in the law that needs to be clarified, he
added.

During the search, Rhonda Robison said, one police officer threatened to
hit the Robisons' dog with a piece of rebar. "I said, 'Look, we are
cooperating,'" she said.

Police then arrested them.

"We're not violent people," she said. "We're a very Christian-based family."
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom

 
 


**




web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 09:34:35 -0700

Subject:UK: Campaigner Believes Plant Can Benefit Health Up TOC

Newshawk: ccguide.org.uk
Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2002
Source: East Anglian Daily Times (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Eastern Counties Newspapers Group Ltd
Contact: eadtletters@ecng.co.uk
Website: http://www.eadt.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/913
Source: East Anglian Daily Times, [UK]
Pub Date: 11 July 2002
Subj:UK: Campaigner Believes Plant Can Benefit Health Up TOC
Author: Katey Edwards
Contact: eadtletters@ecn.co.uk
Cited: Legalise Cannabis Alliance - http://www.lca-uk.org

CAMPAIGNER BELIEVES PLANT CAN BENEFIT HEALTH

CANNABIS cafes would see an end to confusion over the dope debate once and
for all, claims Don Barnard, an executive member of the Legalise Cannabis
Alliance. Don, of Braintree in Essex, who was given 50 hours community
service for growing cannabis plants in his garden in 1994, wants to see the
drug brought within the law.

He claimed the plant helped relieve his wife's arthritis and his own
persistent back pain. He would like to see greater recognition of its
potential health benefits.

In 1999 he helped form the Legalise Cannabis Alliance, a registered UK
political party, to force the issue of legalisation in British politics. In
January this year, he stood for election for Braintree District Council
west ward, winning just 19 votes (1.1%) to Labour's 671. It would seem the
Braintree electorate are not quite ready for Dutch-style cannabis cafes.
Don is suspicious of yesterday's announcement of the Government's intention
to downgrade cannabis to a low risk category class C, making possessing
small amounts or smoking it in private a non-arrestable offence.

The move falls short of decriminalisation or legalisation, leaving users
somewhat confused. Don, 60, believes the Government is not laying all its
cards on the table and should open the debate to wider discussion, with
cannabis users themselves. He said: "Although it may appease a few cannabis
smokers, we have to be very careful about today's announcement and look not
at what's been said but how it will work in practice.

There are still some very grey areas.

I don't think we're seeing the whole picture.

"I think it's time the Government put its policy down in black and white
and local authorities held public meetings for people to give their opinion
on what they want for their communities.

I'm having difficulty understanding what they're doing at the moment. "We
want to see a situation where cannabis is regulated and controlled. I don't
think we would see much change after reclassification except, perhaps, more
seizures.

Give us our cannabis cafes where people can smoke it legally rather than on
the streets.

It's a natural progression from the Brixton experiment."

He added that certain issues would have to be addressed such as smoking
cannabis and driving, and protecting young children from exposure to dope.
He would support quality controls of the drug and taxation of the
suppliers' profits.

Cannabis cafes for the over 18s, he argued, could also supply information
and advice about drugs to users, helping to educate them about the real
dangers of harder drugs.

Don argues that cannabis is a great pain relief for illnesses such as
Multiple Sclerosis and his own condition - spondylitis, or arthritis of the
spine. He said: "I should take strong painkillers but I know that if I
start taking them now, at a later date, if I am still around I'll need a
much higher dose. Smoking a joint really does get rid of the pain." Don
added: "A cannabis user can function normally and think rationally, that's
the good thing about it. If he wants to get a bit more laid back and let it
take control, he giggles a lot and reaches for some chocolate but that's as
bad as it gets."

He does not deny that cannabis can be harmful: "It's a well known fact that
cannabis can cause problems with those pre-disposed to psychotic
incidences. If you have a problem with it, stop smoking it. It's as simple
as that." The official report from the Government's advisory council on
misuse of drugs (ACMD) in March revealed that the main risk was from
smoking it, as it has a higher concentration of carcinogens than
cigarettes. The report also showed the addictive potential of the drug was
far less than amphetamines, tobacco or alcohol but that it did pose
significant dangers for those with heart and circulation problems or
schizophrenia. The study concluded, however, that high use of cannabis in
society was not associated with major health problems for individuals or
society.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom

 
 


**




web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 09:54:30 -0700

Subject:senate "slashes" media campaign budget, gets pissy over lack of results Up TOC

- --=====================_3573529==_.REL
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

HI all,
     This is of interest I think.
Now, if the lack of results shown by this campaign can be so upsetting to 
the appropriations committee, why can't the lack of results in waging the 
entire War be so upsetting...unless of course the whole idea is NOT to 
actually be stopping any drug use whatsoever, but rather to drag the while 
kit and caboodle out as long as possible so some can cash in on the War efforts
     But then, that would mean the whole War is just a lie.
Peace,
Preston

<http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=35443>http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=35443
SENATE COMMITTEE LASHES OUT AT OGILVY & MATHER
Demands 40% Cut in White House Anti-Drug Ad Budget
July 11, 2002
QwikFIND ID: AAN77F
By <mailto:iteinowitz@crain.com>Ira Teinowitz

WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) -- Reacting with anger to plans to keep WPP Group's 
Ogilvy & Mather as advertising agency
ogilvy0711_012.jpg
Photo: AP
Sen. Byron Dorgan blasted Ogilvy.

- ----------
for the White House drug office as well as to a report saying the office's 
ad program hasn't shown success, a Senate appropriations committee panel 
today moved to cut the program's budget by more than 40%.

"I have great heart burn that [the White House Office of National Drug 
Control Policy] hired Ogilvy & Mather," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., 
holding up a General Accounting Office report on Ogilvy's initial billings 
for the account as well as a letter from a former drug office official 
reporting that Ogilvy's time cards were changed after an executive 
complained about a lack of billings on the account.

Other possible steps
Sen. Dorgan accused the drug office of setting the contract's 
specifications to downplay past performance and said that he is examining 
other possible steps that the Senate could taken in regard to the Ogilvy 
contract and may add them to the appropriations bill on July 16, when the 
full committee takes action on the appropriations measure.



 
 


**




web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 12:25:00 -0700
From: webmaster@drugsense.org (DrugSense)
Subject:DrugSense Weekly, July 12, 2002, #258 Up TOC

**********************************************************************

DRUGSENSE WEEKLY

**********************************************************************

DrugSense Weekly,           July 12, 2002                         #258

Read This Publication On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/current.htm 

Listen On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/radio/

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

* This Just In

     (1) US CA: Conviction In Federal Pot Trial
     (2) Canada: Federal Rights Watchdog Bans Workplace Drug Tests
     (3) U.S. Law Imperils Colombia Coca Spraying
     (4) Clinton Says He Regrets Decision Against Needle-exchange Program
 
* Weekly News in Review

Drug Policy-

     (5) Agency Gets Anti-Drug Ads Contract
     (6) Fall Vote Likely On Drug Crime
     (7) Johnson Commutes Drug Sentence
     (8) Capriati In Drugs Fury
     (9) Marijuana 'Pharmacist' Wins Praise For His Work

Law Enforcement & Prisons-

     (10) Police Kill Fleeing Man; Officer Shot
     (11) Man Killed As Police Execute Warrant
     (12) Deputies' Shooter On Ground When Shots Exchanged
     (13) Deputy Imposters Ripped Off Suspected Drug Dealers
     (14) Lawsuit Is Filed Over Car Search

Cannabis & Hemp-

     (15) Medical Pot May Again Go To D.C. Voters
     (16) 3rd Arizona Medical-Pot Ballot Issue Aims To Survive Challenges
     (17) U.K. Sentences To Be Doubled For Dealing In Cannabis
     (18) Canadian Dope Smoker Off Hook
     (19) Couple Files 'Life And Death' Writ

International News-

     (20) Thousands Mourn Afghan V.P.'S Death
     (21) Move Over Dirty Harry, Duterte's Here
     (22) Act Courts Votes Of Dope Smokers
     (23) Drug Tsar Hellawell Resigns In Protest

* Hot Off The 'Net

     Drug Policies = Death 
     Bolivia: Power Of The People 
     Performance of "DOPE" To Benefit NORML Chapter 
     Senate Committee Lashes Out At Ogilvy & Mather

* Letter Of The Week

     Drug Testing In Schools Is Counterproductive 
     / By David T. Wilkinson

* Feature Article

     Interview with Marc-Boris St. Maurice - Part 1 
     / By Philippe Lucas

* Quote of the Week

     David Blunkett

***********************************************************************

THIS JUST IN
=======================================================================

(1) US CA: CONVICTION IN FEDERAL POT TRIAL

The Jurors Reach A Verdict After Being Told To Ignore All Medical-Use 
Evidence And Argument.

Bryan  James  Epis,  who says he smoked marijuana for chronic pain and
wanted  to grow it for others who were sick, was found guilty Thursday
by  a jury in Sacramento federal court of conspiracy and manufacturing
the drug.

He  faces  a  mandatory  minimum  of  10 years in prison on the jury's
finding  that  he  conspired  to eventually boost his crop to at least
1,000 plants. The panel also found that he grew at least 100 plants in
the  spring of 1997 at his Chico residence. The fact that his house is
within  1,000  feet  of  Chico  Senior  High School could increase the
penalty.

Defense lawyer J. Tony Serra said there will be an appeal.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jul 2002
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2002 The Sacramento Bee
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376
Author: Denny Walsh, Bee Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Epis
Continues: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/3544428p-4571947c.html

===

(2) CANADA: FEDERAL RIGHTS WATCHDOG BANS WORKPLACE DRUG TESTS

OTTAWA  --  Federally regulated companies and public services must not
randomly  test  or  prescreen  employees for drug and alcohol use, the
federal human-rights watchdog says.

The  Canadian  Human Rights Commission released a new policy yesterday
that says employee drug tests are an abuse of human rights under almost
all circumstances.

"Positive  results of drug tests do not suggest a person is impaired,"
commission spokeswoman Catherine Barratt said. "If you want to test for
a  safe environment, testing for drugs is not going to get you there."

That's  because  tests  can show traces of drugs weeks after they were
used,  long after an employee in question has sobered up. "There is no
technology  out  there  at the moment that tests for the impairment of
drugs in the body," Ms. Barratt said.

Alcohol  testing should be allowed only if an employer believes safety
is at risk, the policy says.

 [snip]

The policy applies to federal government agencies and departments, and
federally  regulated  companies  such  as  banks,  insurance  firms,
airlines,  telecommunications  businesses  and  other  companies  that
operate across the country.

Some  provincial  human-rights  commissions, which govern provincially
regulated  workplaces, have also ruled against drug testing as part of
an applicant screening process.

The  Ontario  Human  Rights  Commission, for instance, permits testing
only  in  limited  circumstances  such  as  when  an  employee is in a
safety-sensitive  position  or  after  significant  accidents  or near
misses.  And  because  drug  and  alcohol  addiction  is  considered a
disability,  it is considered discriminatory to refuse to hire someone
because of the presence of either substance in their blood.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2002
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact: letters@globeandmail.ca
Website: http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author:  Heather Scoffield
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1292.a10.html

===

(3) U.S. LAW IMPERILS COLOMBIA COCA SPRAYING

WASHINGTON,  July  10  -  Even as the Bush administration is trying to
increase the aerial spraying of drug crops in Colombia with
herbicides,  an  American  law enacted in January threatens to disrupt
the strategy and possibly even halt it.

A  little-noticed  provision in the $15.4 billion spending measure for
government operations abroad requires that the American-backed program
to  eradicate  coca  crops  in  Colombia must meet the same health and
safety standards that would apply if the herbicides were being sprayed
in the United States.

"Colombia  is  far away, but we are making decisions that can directly
affect  the health of thousands of people there," said Senator Patrick
J.  Leahy,  the  Vermont  Democrat,  who  sponsored  the new law. "The
American  public  and our own health agencies would not allow use of a
toxic chemical like this on this kind of scale."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2002
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company
Contact: letters@nytimes.com
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Christopher Marquis
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1293.a04.html

===

(4) CLINTON SAYS HE REGRETS DECISION AGAINST NEEDLE-EXCHANGE PROGRAM

BARCELONA,  Spain  --  Former  President  Clinton acknowledged, "I was
wrong"  about  one  of  the  most  controversial AIDS decisions of his
presidency:  his  refusal  to  lift  the  ban  on  federal  funding of
needle-exchange programs.

A  government panel advised him at the time that the practice, used to
slow  the  spread of HIV among injection-drug users, was effective and
didn't  promote  drug abuse. But Mr. Clinton sided with his drug czar,
Gen.  Barry  McCaffrey,  who  opposed  it,  Mr. Clinton said Thursday,
because of "the message it would send on the drug front."

At  the  XIV  International AIDS Conference here, Mr. Clinton met with
young  people  in  an MTV town-hall style meeting. He also electrified
delegates  who  packed  a large hall to hear him and other current and
former  heads of state talk about how to build political commitment to
fight  the  pandemic.  Friday,  Mr.  Clinton is scheduled to close the
conference  together  with  former  South  African  President  Nelson
Mandela.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jul 2002
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Section: International AIDS Conference
Copyright: 2002 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Website: http://www.wsj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487
Authors: Mark Schoofs, Rachel Zimmerman
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1296.a01.html

***********************************************************************

WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW

=======================================================================

Domestic News- Policy
- ----------------------------------

COMMENT: (5-9)

 Failure  and  questionable  business practices apparently represent a
 proven  track  record  when  applying  for  a  job as a drug warrior.
 Dismal  results  and  embarrassing  scandals  were  no  hindrance  to
 advertising  firm  Ogilvy  &  Mather  last  week  as  the company got
 another  multi-million  dollar  contract  for  running  the  federal
 government's anti-drug propaganda campaign.

 While  the feds were rewarding incompetence and deceit, several other
 encouraging  stories  of resistance against drug prohibition surfaced
 last  week.  In Michigan, another drug reform initiative seems set to
 be  placed on the ballot. Prominent drug war opponent and Governor of
 New  Mexico  Gary  Johnson  commuted  an  outrageous prison sentence.
 Tennis  star  Jennifer  Capriati  lashed  out at the Women's Tour for
 proposing random drug tests.

 And  particularly  good  news  here at the DrugSense Weekly as fellow
 editor  and  cannabis  news  commentator  Philippe Lucas was given an
 absolute  discharge  after being arrested for operating the Vancouver
 Island  Compassion  Society. Not only was he discharged, Philippe was
 praised by the judge for his ethics. Way to go, Philippe!

===

(5) AGENCY GETS ANTI-DRUG ADS CONTRACT

An  advertising  agency  punished  for overcharging the government for
its  work  on an anti-drug campaign won a nearly $152 million contract
Wednesday to run the ad program for at least another year.

New  York-based  Ogilvy  &  Mather  won  the  contract over four other
bidders,  according  to  a  statement  from  the  Navy,  which handles
contracting  functions  for  the  White  House Office of National Drug
Control Policy.

Ogilvy  &  Mather  agreed  to  pay a $1.8 million penalty earlier this
year  to  settle  charges  it  overcharged  the  drug  policy  office.
Congressional  investigators  found  last  year  that  Ogilvy & Mather
billed  the  government  for  millions  of  dollars  of work it didn't
perform.

 [snip]

John  P.  Walters,  director of the drug policy office, has repeatedly
criticized  the  ad  campaign, saying teenagers were ignoring the ads.
In  May,  he  said  the office would cancel the campaign if it was not
effective.

A  survey  released  in  May  also  found  no  evidence  the  ads were
discouraging drug use.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 04 Jul 2002
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2002 The Washington Post Company
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Matt Kelley
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1236/a04.html

===

(6) FALL VOTE LIKELY ON DRUG CRIME

Petitions Turned In To Revise Sentencing

A constitutional amendment to overhaul Michigan drug crime
sentencing  practices  --  providing treatment rather than prison time
for  drug  users,  and  abolishing mandatory minimums for drug sellers
- -- appears on its way to the November ballot.

Backers  of  the  plan  have submitted more than 450,000 signatures to
state  elections  officials. The Campaign for New Drug Policies needed
the  signatures  of  about  303,000  registered  voters  to  put  the
question before voters.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Wed, 10 Jul 2002
Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)
Copyright: 2002 Detroit Free Press
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/125
Author: Dawson Bell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1269/a08.html

===

(7) JOHNSON COMMUTES DRUG SENTENCE

Saying  the  case  is  a  great  example  of the failure of the war on
drugs,  Gov.  Gary  Johnson  on  Tuesday  commuted  the sentence of an
Otero  County  woman  sentenced  to  25.5  years in prison for forging
prescriptions  for  Tylenol  with  codeine.  Maryann  Gomez-Velasquez
currently  at  the  New  Mexico  Women's  Correctional  Facility,  has
already served more than three years of her sentence.

"This  is  clearly  a  case  where  she has  done  no  harm to anyone
arguably  other  than  herself," Johnson said. "She received a harsher
sentence  for  her  nonviolent  crimes  than  those who kill others in
DWI-related  incidents.  I  find  it  hard  to believe any New Mexican
believes  justice  is  being  served  by  Maryann  Gomez-Velasquez's
25.5-year sentence."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 4 Jul 2002
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican (NM)
Copyright: 2002 The Santa Fe New Mexican
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/695
Author: Steve Terrell, The New Mexican
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1244/a07.html

===

(8) CAPRIATI IN DRUGS FURY

Self-Confessed  drug-taker  Jennifer Capriati last night slammed plans
to randomly dope-test female players.

Capriati  is  the  one  tennis  player known to have taken drugs after
being arrested in possession of marijuana in 1995.

Yet  she  hit  out at the Women's Tour officials last night, insisting
they  have  no right to turn up unannounced at the homes of players to
ask for samples.

Reigning  Wimbledon  queen Venus Williams backed the scheme just hours
earlier, maintaining she had nothing to hide.

But Capriati, who plays Amelie Mauresmo of France in the
quarter-finals  today,  said:  "I  think  that's a bit of an invasion.
Something  to  think  about.  I don't know if they are really going to
go through with that or not.

"But  I  just  don't  think  they have any kind of right to see what's
going  on  inside  your  body,  whatever,  even  if  you are not doing
anything."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Wed, 3 Jul 2002
Source: Mirror, The (UK)
Copyright: 2002 The Mirror
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1161
Author: Darren Lewis
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1233/a04.html

===

(9) MARIJUANA 'PHARMACIST' WINS PRAISE FOR HIS WORK

Judge  In  Philippe  Lucas's Drug-Bust Case Lauds His Business Conduct
And Altruism

VICTORIA  -  Philippe  Lucas  called  the police after he discovered a
break-in  at  the  storefront  office  of  his  non-profit society. An
officer  surveyed  a  hole  in  the wall, opened his notepad and asked
what was missing.

"About  23  pot cookies and about maybe $1,200 worth of cannabis," Mr.
Lucas said.

The  officer  looked  around, Mr. Lucas recalled, before asking, "What
exactly is it that you guys do here?"

The  storefront  was  home to the Vancouver Island Compassion Society,
a  pot  pharmacy  that  sells  marijuana to clients who have referrals
from their doctors.

Police  caught  the  thief  within  days.  Mr.  Lucas  identified  the
marijuana as belonging to his group.

He  wound  up  in handcuffs, facing trafficking charges with a maximum
penalty  of  five  years  less  a day. Afterward, he felt like a dope.

"It  may  have  been  naive  in  hindsight  to  go in and identify the
cannabis,"  Mr.  Lucas  said  recently. "But I really thought of it as
the society's medicine."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2002
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Tom Hawthorn
Cited: http://www.thevics.com/
Ruling: http://www.thevics.com/rvlucas.htm
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Philippe+Lucas
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1287.a09.html

=======================================================================

Law Enforcement & Prisons
- -------------------------

COMMENT: (10-14)

 At  least  three drug busts turned deadly this week at various places
 around  the  nation.  Police  officers  were also shot in some of the
 incidents  - and in at least one situation, police may have shot each
 other.

 Police  corruption  took  an  new  twist  in  Georgia, where a deputy
 obtained  police  uniforms  and  information from police computers in
 order  to rip-off drug dealers with help from outside the department.
 And  in  North  Carolina,  a  man  is  filing suit against police who
 searched his car for drugs without his consent.

===

(10) POLICE KILL FLEEING MAN; OFFICER SHOT

A  Los  Angeles  police  officer  was  shot in the wrist and a fleeing
suspect  was  killed Saturday night on the Harbor Freeway, authorities
said.

The  incident  began  when  two  officers  saw  a man they believe was
either  using  or  dealing  drugs  at  79th  and  Figueroa  streets in
Southwest  Los  Angeles.  The officers approached the suspect, who was
sitting  outside  an  abandoned  building.  There was a brief scuffle,
with  the  man  knocking  down  the  officers, LAPD Deputy Chief David
Gascon said. The officers suffered minor injuries.

The  man  jumped  into  the  police  car and drove away, prompting the
officers  to  shoot at the fleeing car, witnesses and police said. The
man  was  not  hit  at  that  time. Backup officers gave chase while a
police  helicopter  tracked the patrol car. After a short pursuit, the
man  stopped  on  the  freeway  near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Officers  fired  beanbag  rounds.  The  police did not believe the man
was armed, said Interim Police Chief Martin Pomeroy.

 [snip]

The  Newton  Division  officer was taken to St. Francis Medical Center
in  Lynwood,  where  he  underwent  surgery for a gunshot wound to the
wrist,  authorities  said.  It  was unclear whether he was shot by the
suspect  or  by  one  of  his fellow officers, Pomeroy said. He was in
stable condition late Saturday night.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Sun, 07 Jul 2002
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Webpage: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cop7jul07.story
Copyright: 2002 Los Angeles Times
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Hector Becerra, Times Staff Writer
Note: Times staff writer Anna Gorman contributed to this report.

===

(11) MAN KILLED AS POLICE EXECUTE WARRANT

One  man  was  killed  and  another  critically injured, apparently by
police  gunfire,  when  a  Salt  Lake  police  SWAT  team attempted to
execute a search warrant at a home Wednesday night.

Neither  the  name  of  the man who was killed nor the injured man had
been released early Thursday. The injured man was taken to
University  Hospital  for gunshot wounds, Salt Lake police Capt. Scott
Atkinson said.

 [snip]

The  search  warrant  being served was for an investigation of illegal
drugs.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 04 Jul 2002
Source: Deseret News (UT)
Copyright: 2002 Deseret News Publishing Corp.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/124
Author: Laura Hancock, Deseret News staff writer
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1240/a09.html

===

(12) DEPUTIES' SHOOTER ON GROUND WHEN SHOTS EXCHANGED

Slain Gunman Might Not Have Known Men Were Undercover Cops

MAPLE VALLEY -- King County sheriff's deputies wrestled Gary Dean Burow
to  the  ground before he started shooting at them, a Sheriff's Office
spokesman said yesterday.

Sgt.  Greg  Dymerski  said  Burow  fired  five  or six rounds from his
handgun  while  on  the  ground.  His  bullets struck three detectives
before deputies opened fire and killed Burow.

He  died  from  multiple  gunshots to the head, the Medical Examiner's
Office said.

 [snip]

Deputies  say  Burow,  34,  raised  suspicions  after  he rode up on a
motorcycle  to  the  entrance  of  a  rented  property in Maple Valley
where  narcotics  detectives  had arrived with a search warrant nearly
four hours earlier.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Wed, 03 Jul 2002
Source: Eastside Journal (WA)
Copyright: 2000 Horvitz Newspapers, Inc.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/985
Author: Noel S. Brady and Jamie Swift
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1231/a06.html

===

(13) DEPUTY IMPOSTERS RIPPED OFF SUSPECTED DRUG DEALERS

A  Fulton  County deputy sheriff is accused in a federal indictment of
providing  sheriff's  uniforms  and  inside information to accomplices
who  barged  into  the  homes  of  suspected  drug  dealers,  stealing
narcotics, jewelry and cash.

According  to  the  indictment disclosed Tuesday, a dozen members of a
home  invasion  ring have been arrested and charged with breaking into
at  least  11  homes  in  the  metro  area in the last year, posing as
sheriff's officers.

Deputy  Brenda  Wiggins,  33,  provided  the  uniforms and information
about  the  targets  ---  data she acquired from the national computer
crime  network  that  is  supposed  to  be  used  exclusively  by  law
enforcement officials, the indictment says.

Wiggins  has  been  suspended  with  pay  and is free on $25,000 bond.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Wed, 03 Jul 2002 
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Webpage: http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/wednesday/news_d322095c464cf0ae00df.html
Copyright: 2002 Cox Interactive Media. 
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28 
Author: Bill Rankin

===

(14) LAWSUIT IS FILED OVER CAR SEARCH

DURHAM  -  Maurice  McKellar Jr. admits that a state trooper had every
right  to  stop  him  last  summer for speeding on Interstate 40. What
made  McKellar  file  a  lawsuit  is  everything that he says happened
after  he  refused  to  let  the trooper search his car --the drug dog
sniffing  through  his  car,  two baseless criminal charges, painfully
tight handcuffs and a trip to the emergency room.

In  a  negligence  claim  filed  against  the agency that oversees the
state  Highway  Patrol,  McKellar,  a 34-year-old hospital worker from
Durham, contends that he was punished for exercising his
constitutional  right  to  protect  himself  from  an  illegal search.

"The  Highway  Patrol has yet to say, 'I'm sorry for assuming that you
were  a  drug dealer,' " McKellar, a Persian Gulf War veteran, said in
an  interview.  "They  have  yet to say they were sorry for causing my
hands  to  turn  blue  from lack of circulation. They have yet to say,
'I'm  sorry  for  falsely  arresting you.' They have yet to admit that
they were wrong."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Sat, 06 Jul 2002
Source: News & Observer (NC)
Webpage: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/1515146p-1545056c.html
Copyright: 2002 The News and Observer Publishing Company
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/304
Author: Demorris Lee

=======================================================================

Cannabis & Hemp-
- ---------------------------

COMMENT: (15-19)

 This  week,  cannabis activists across the U.S. worked hard to submit
 enough  signatures  to  get  their questions on state ballots for the
 November  elections. In Washington D.C., the Marijuana Policy Project
 presented  39,000  signatures  to  the  D.C.  Board  of Elections and
 Ethics,  easily  enough  to  get  their initiative, which would allow
 doctors  to  give  patients  the  right  to grow and possess personal
 amounts  of  cannabis,  on  the fall ballot. A similar initiative was
 passed  by  voters  in  1998,  but  Rep.  Barr  (R-Ga.) introduced an
 amendment  to block its implementation. With the financial backing of
 John  Sperling,  activists in Arizona submitted 165,000 signatures to
 the  state  legislature  in  support  of  their  medical/personal use
 initiative.  The initiative would create a state-run medical registry
 of  eligible  users  and  decriminalize  the  personal use of up to 2
 ounces for adults.

 U.K.  Home  Secretary  David  Blunkett  announced  the downgrading of
 cannabis  classification  this week, amidst rumors that sentences for
 distribution  of  marijuana will be doubled to appease those accusing
 the  Labour  Party  of  being  soft on crime. This would increase the
 maximum  penalty for distribution from 5 years in prison to 10 years.

 And  in  Canada,  court  challenges  continue  to erode confidence in
 Health  Canada's  Cannabis  Medical Access program. In Alberta, Judge
 Phil  Ketchum  stayed  the  charges  against  Brian  Oates,  who uses
 cannabis  to alleviate the symptoms of a 1996 industrial accident. In
 his  decision,  the  judge  called  the  charges  against  Oates  "a
 violation  of  the accused's right to security of his person." And in
 B.C.,  American  drug-war refugees Steve and Michele Kubby have filed
 a  writ  with  the  B.C.  Supreme  Court  asking  for an exemption to
 possession  and  cultivation  charges  laid against them following an
 RCMP  raid  on  their  Sechelt  home.  The couple has stated that any
 imprisonment  would  be  tantamount  to  a  death  sentence for Steve
 Kubby,  who  uses  cannabis to control a rare form of adrenal cancer.

===

(15) MEDICAL POT MAY AGAIN GO TO D.C. VOTERS

D.C.  voters  could get another chance to vote on legalizing marijuana
for  medicinal  uses,  but congressmen who blocked the measure in 1998
are already preparing to mount a challenge.

The  District-based  Marijuana  Policy  Project yesterday presented to
the  Board  of  Elections  and Ethics 39,000 signatures from residents
who  want  to  bring  the  issue  to referendum -- more than twice the
number  of  signatures  required  under  city  law. If at least 17,500
signatures  are  verified,  the  issue  will  be on November's ballot.

 [snip]

But  opposition  to  the  bill  is  brewing  on Capitol Hill. Rep. Bob
Barr,  Georgia  Republican,  sent  a  letter  yesterday  to  Rep.  Joe
Knollenberg,  chairman  of  the  House  Appropriations  District  of
Columbia  subcommittee,  requesting  that  he  include  in  the city's
funding  bill  for  2003 an amendment that would block spending on the
initiative.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 09 Jul 2002
Source: Washington Times (DC)
Copyright: 2002 News World Communications, Inc.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/492
Author: Vaishali Honawar
Cited: Marijuana Policy Project (www.mpp.org)
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1265.a12.html

===

(16) 3RD ARIZONA MEDICAL-POT BALLOT ISSUE AIMS TO SURVIVE CHALLENGES

Marijuana  backers  in  Arizona hope the third time will be the charm,
thanks  to  a  November  initiative  that  would  decriminalize  the
possession  of  small  amounts  of  the  drug  and  allow  its use for
medical purposes.

"The  Legislature  has  been  fighting  this  movement since Arizonans
first  approved  a  medical  marijuana  initiative  in 1996," said Sam
Vagenas,  a  spokesman for The People Have Spoken. "They (legislators)
blocked  that  one  and  the  second  one passed in 1998. But this one
will stick because this initiative has more meat to it."

Backed  by  University  of  Phoenix  founder  John Sperling, the group
became the last faction to file petition signatures for its
proposition to make it onto the November ballot.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Fri, 5 Jul 2002
Source: Tucson Citizen (AZ)
Copyright: 2002 Tucson Citizen
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/461
Author: Mel Melendez
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/props.htm (Ballot Initiatives)
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1250.a07.html

===

(17) U.K. SENTENCES TO BE DOUBLED FOR DEALING IN CANNABIS

Sentences  for  cannabis  dealers  will  be  doubled  in a last-minute
attempt  to  offset the effect of reclassifying the drug, according to
leaked Home Office correspondence unveiled yesterday.

David  Blunkett,  the Home Secretary, is trying to head off charges of
being  too  soft  on  cannabis  ahead  of  new  figures  showing that,
despite  five  years  of  Labour pledges to be "tough on crime", crime
rates are soaring.

 [snip]

A  Government  order  will  be  put  before  Parliament  to reclassify
cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug, following a
recommendation  in  the  home affairs Select Committee's report on the
drug problem.

Critics  say  the  move  is tantamount to decriminalisation because it
ensures  that  police will lose all incentives to pursue those who use
the drug.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Mon, 08 Jul 2002
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Telegraph Group Limited
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114
Author: Benedict Brogan
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1259.a02.html

===

(18) CANADIAN DOPE SMOKER OFF HOOK

Marijuana  possession  charges  have  been  stayed against an Edmonton

man  because  neither  doctors  nor the feds can supply him with legal
pot.

 [snip]

Provincial  court  Judge  Phil  Ketchum  called the possession charges
against  Brian  Edward  Oates, 45, "a violation of the accused's right
to  security  of  his person" and told cops and the Crown to back off,
at least until Oates can go through the process for a legal
exemption.

Oates,  who  court  heard  was hurt in a 1995 industrial accident, was
busted  after  a  raid  on  his  home  found  71 plants growing in the
basement.

"It  is  not  in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice
to  criminalize  this  accused while he waits for a medically approved
source of raw marijuana to be made legally available," said
Ketchum's written judgment.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Fri, 05 Jul 2002
Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Copyright: 2002, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135
Author: David Sands
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1242.a01.html

===

(19) COUPLE FILES 'LIFE AND DEATH' WRIT

Sunshine  Coast  "pot  exiles"  Steve  and  Michele Kubby have filed a
writ  with  B.C.  Supreme Court seeking an exemption from charges laid
against  them  after  police  found  marijuana plants at their Sechelt
home.

The  couple  are  due to appear at Sechelt provincial court on July 16
on  charges  of  production  of  a controlled substance and possession
for the purpose of trafficking.

 [snip]

"Cannabis  keeps  me  alive"  said Kubby, in an interview. "I'm hoping
that  a  judge will say under the Charter of Rights, we have the right
when  we're  clearly  in  a  medical  need  to  do  what we were doing
without being treated like criminals."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Sun, 07 Jul 2002
Source: Coast Reporter (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Coast Reporter
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/580
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1257.a01.html

=======================================================================

International News
- ---------------------------

COMMENT: (20-23)

 Afghani  Vice  President  Haji  Abdul Qadir was buried last week amid
 speculation his killing was ordered by drug lords who felt betrayed in
 the  campaign  to  destroy  poppy  crops.  Qadir,  himself "long been
 suspected  of  enriching  himself  through  involvement  in the opium
 trade,"  had apparently favored some drug lords, earning the wrath of
 rivals.

 To  peals of laughter from Philippine president Macapagal, Davao City
 Mayor Rodrigo Duterte last week declared that any means were justified
 by the goal of fighting illicit drugs. Duterte brushed aside concerns
 over  vigilantism.  Criminals  "don't have a monopoly on evil in this
 country,"  Duterte  noted,  extolling "summary execution" as a way to
 fight drugs.

 The  law-and-order  ACT Party of New Zealand surprised observers last
 week,  declaring  that  "the  present cannabis laws restrict personal
 freedoms and are not working." In an ad placed in a New Zealand NORML
 magazine,  the party attempted to win the support of cannabis smokers
 by  calling  for  renewed  debate  on  the  present  cannabis  laws.

 And in a move timed for maximum political impact, the former UK drugs
 czar,  Keith  Hellawell,  resigned  his  post as drugs advisor to the
 government,  proclaiming "politicians should not make political play"
 of  drugs.  Hellawell's move came on the same day that Home Secretary
 David Blunkett announced the downgrading of cannabis from a Class B to
 a Class C drug.

===

(20) THOUSANDS MOURN AFGHAN V.P.'S DEATH

Officials Speculate Qadir's Assassination Was Related To
Drug-Fighting Programs

JALALABAD,  Afghanistan  -  Vice President Haji Abdul Qadir was buried
yesterday  with  full  military  honors a day after he was gunned down
in  an  attack  that  Afghans  fear  might  bring new instability to a
nation struggling to build peace after decades of war.

 [snip]

Afghan  officials  said  yesterday  that  they  were investigating the
possibility  that  Qadir  had  been  killed by drug lords who had been
double-crossed  in  a Western-backed campaign to destroy the country's
poppy crop that Qadir had been overseeing.

A  senior  Afghan  official  said  Qadir  had recently complained that
promised  aid  money  was  not  being  distributed to farmers who were
bowing  to  his  demand  to  uproot their poppies. The Afghan official
said  Qadir's  efforts,  coupled  with  the  failure  to  pay  certain
farmers,  might  have  enraged powerful members of the country's opium
trade.  Those  drug  lords,  the  Afghan  official  said,  might  have
decided to take revenge.

Qadir,  a  wealthy businessman from Jalalabad, had long been suspected
of  enriching  himself  through  involvement  in the opium trade. Some
Afghans  speculated  that  Qadir  might  have made enemies by favoring
one drug lord over another.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jul 2002
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2002 The Baltimore Sun, a Times Mirror Newspaper.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1262/a09.html

===

(21) MOVE OVER DIRTY HARRY, DUTERTE'S HERE

QUOTING  the  Bible's  passage  "an  eye  for  an  eye,  a tooth for a
tooth,"  Davao  City  Mayor  Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday that summary
execution  of  criminals  remained  the  most  effective  way  to curb
kidnapping and illicit drugs.

 [snip]

"The  intention  of  the criminals is to instill fear in their victims
and  kill  them.  What  should  we  do,  but kill them also," he said,
eliciting applause.

He  added:  "My  policy  is  that  if  you  are a kidnapper and a drug
pusher, you put yourself and your life on the line."

 [snip]

She  was  visibly  pleased  as  the  mayor  lengthily  spoke about his
methods  to  get  rid  of  criminals,  which  observers  say border on
vigilantism.

 [snip]

According  to  him,  he  gives  criminal  suspects the chance to leave
Davao  City  peacefully.  "After that I strike. Wala itong yabang ha?"

"You  must  realize,  you criminals, that you don't have a monopoly on
evil  in  this country," he said, prompting Ms Macapagal to burst into
laughter.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Wed, 10 Jul 2002
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines)
Copyright: 2002 Philippine Daily Inquirer
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073
Author: TJ Burgonio and Dona Pazzibugan, Inquirer News Service
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1268/a06.html

===

(22) ACT COURTS VOTES OF DOPE SMOKERS

Act,  the  party  that  stands for zero tolerance on crime, is seeking
the votes of cannabis smokers.

Under  the  headline Freedom is Choice, Act has taken an advertisement
in  the  pro-cannabis  magazine Norml News saying the present cannabis
laws restrict personal freedoms and are not working.

It  goes  on  to  say that Act is committed to meaningful debate and a
workable solution to the cannabis issue.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 09 Jul 2002
Source: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2002 New Zealand Herald
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/300
Author: Bernard Orsman
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1270/a11.html

===

(23) DRUG TSAR HELLAWELL RESIGNS IN PROTEST

Government  drugs  adviser  Keith  Hellawell  today  announced  his
resignation  in  protest  at  the  proposal  to  reclassify  cannabis.

Mr  Hellawell,  the former Drug Tsar who is now a part-time adviser to
the  Government,  also  attacked Government "spin" for relaunching its
10-year  drugs  strategy.  He  said  he  had written to Home Secretary
David  Blunkett  to  inform  him of his resignation but had so far had
no response.

He  said:  "It's  moving  further  towards  decriminalisation than any
other  country  in the world. I have resigned over this issue and over
the issue of spin."

 [snip]

"Drugs  are  so  important  to  all  our families in this country, the
politicians  should  not  make political play out of it and should not
take advantage by making political statements."

Pubdate: Wed, 10 Jul 2002
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Telegraph Group Limited
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1270/a05.html


***********************************************************************

HOT OFF THE 'NET
- -------------------------------

Drug Policies = Death

"A  new  study  published  today  by  The  Drug  Law and Health Policy
Network  stresses  that  the  HIV/AIDS epidemic in Central and Eastern
Europe  is  driven  primarily  by  injection  drug  use  -  not sexual
intercourse."

A  press  release  from  Drug Policy Alliance, with a link to a longer
report.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/pr-july05-02x.html

===

Bolivia: Power Of The People

Unfiltered  news  from  Bolivia  via  Luis  Gomez  and  NarcoNews.com

"Read  it  well, kind readers: The top coca growers' leader of Bolivia
could occupy the presidential seat in less than a month."

http://www.narconews.com/harvest1.html

===

Performance of "DOPE" To Benefit NORML Chapter

"Truth  is  a  controlled substance." That's the motto of a theatrical
look  at  the  history of drug policy now playing in Chicago. Proceeds
from  Saturday's  performance  of  "DOPE"  will  go to Illinois NORML.

http://www.defianttheatre.org/season/norml.html

===

SENATE COMMITTEE LASHES OUT AT OGILVY & MATHER

Demands 40% Cut in White House Anti-Drug Ad Budget

A report from Advertising Age.

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=35443

***********************************************************************

LETTER OF THE WEEK
- ------------------------------------

Drug Testing In Schools Is Counterproductive

By David T. Wilkinson

In  the  Oklahoma  case,  500  students  were  tested,  yielding three
positive  results.  Was  it really worth $12,500 (at $25 a student) to
identify  three  pot-smoking  teenagers?  What  about  the  other  497
students,  forced  to  perform  one  of  the  most personal acts under
observation  by  strangers? Is this a positive experience for insecure
adolescents?

David T. Wilkinson,

Plymouth, Mass.

Date: 07/01/2002
Source: Christian Science Monitor (US)
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/83
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1182/a02.html

**********************************************************************

FEATURE ARTICLE
- -------------------------------

Interview with Marc-Boris St. Maurice - Part 1

By Philippe Lucas

Boris  St.  Maurice  is  a man of many hempen hats. The Montreal-based
uber-activist and founder of Bloc Pot is currently the
Editor-in-Chief  of  Heads  Magazine,  leader  of the federal Canadian
Marijuana  Party,  founder  of  a  new cannabis reform french-language
internet  list  known  as PAMF, and generally nice, well-informed guy.

DSW  Hemp  &  Cannabis  Issues  Editor Philippe Lucas tracked him down
between  projects  to  find  out what's new in the Canadian, U.S., and
International drug reform.

 DSW:  You are the current editor of Heads Magazine. How long have you
 been involved with them?

Boris: I have been working at heads now for 18 months. I have been
editor in chief since Jan 2002, and was managing editor before that for
a few months. It has been a great learning experience.

 DSW:  What  makes  Heads  different than the other two biggies in the
 industry: High Times and Cannabis Culture?

Boris: I would say that heads has a wider audience potential because it
covers other subjects that are not directly pot related but that pot
heads can relate to... cool stuff like skateboarding, outdoor sports,
music, travel, food, politics... Cannabis culture is for the west coast
activist scene and is quite narrow in it's focus. High times in the
fast food of pot magazines... a little low on substance. But high times
has been improving lately; I think that they're feeling the pressure.

 DSW:  I  saw  that  although  the  magazine  started with a different
 advertising  base  than  High  Times, an ad in the recent issue reads
 "Free  Nitrous".  Will Heads be following High Times in the promotion
 of  questionable  products  like  fake  weed  and  "herbal  ecstasy"?

Boris: Advertising is any magazines survival requirements. We are not
in a financial position to refuse many advertisers. The problem with
ads is that most so called "legit" business that might benefit from
exposure to our audience get cold feet when they see the photos in our
gallery of glorious pot plants in full bloom. Although we did have some
of those ads in the past, but we decided not to run them anymore.

 DSW:  It's  a  good  magazine  and  a  nice  addition  to the current
 cannabis  literature  and  culture. What's coming in upcoming issues?

Boris: More of Ed Rosenthal's writing, and the next issue is a Bob
Marley cover story, and a summer travel issue. There are a lot of great
ideas around here for stories, but we are not advertising our
intentions... you will have to read the magazine to find out.

 DSW:  And  finally,  any  hopes  or  predictions  for  the  next year
 regarding  drug  policy?  What will happen in the U.S. and in Canada?
 And how about them Brits?

Boris: I think Canada will become the key player internationally. The
Supreme Court has to come through for us, or else it will be a crushing
blow and the movement may not stay as civilised as it has been so far.
Europe is also on the move in this area, but we have to be careful not
to be lulled by the political promises that are rarely kept... we want
action.

 DSW:  And  in  the  U.S., do you think that we can expect to see more
 clubs get busted in California?

Boris: The U.S. is in a sorry state. I think the repression will
continue for a little while, but that Bush can't possibly win another
election and that future leaders of the U.S. might have a chance at
it... it's an ebb and flow and this last wave was a big one, but the
tide will eventually recede. Before we go, I also wanted to mention
PAMF, a new French news clipping service inspired by MAPinc and CMAP.
You can sign up at http://www.blocpot.qc.ca/ or at the MAPinc
(http://www.mapinc.org/) site.

 DSW: Excellent, what's the goal for PAMF?

Boris: PAMF hopes to get people here aware of how the French media
treats the drug/marijuana issue so they can better react and be aware
of the issues. By the way, the Bloc Pot is releasing a compilation
album (95% in French) to help get the word out and finance the party.
It even contains a version of Brian Taylor's (Former mayor of Grand
Forks, Alberta) song "Marijuana", sung by yours truly.

 DSW:  I  look  forward  to hearing it. I know that you're a busy man,
 Boris;  thank  you  very  much  for your time. Keep up the good work.

Boris: Thanks Phil; I'll talk to you soon.

Editor's Note: Part two of this interview will run in DrugSense Weekly 
next  week.  To  see  Philippe's  complete  interview with Boris, see 
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1286/a06.html

***********************************************************************

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
- ------------------------------------

"Making  a  clearer  differentiation between drugs that kill and drugs
that  do  not  would  be  scientifically appropriate and educationally
valuable."  -- British Home Secretary David Blunkett, quoted in press 
stories July 11

***********************************************************************

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

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CREDITS:

Policy  and  Law  Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen  Young  (maxharm@maximizingharm.com),  Cannabis/Hemp  content
selection  and  analysis  by  Philippe  Lucas  (phil@drugsense.org),
International content selection and analysis by Doug Snead
(doug@drugsense.org), Layout by Matt Elrod (webmaster@drugsense.org)

We  wish  to thank all our contributors, editors, NewsHawks and letter
writing  activists.  Please help us help reform. Become a NewsHawk See
http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm  for  info  on  contributing clippings.

===

NOTICE:

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End of Restore-Digest V2002 #133
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