Introducing Moose Javians to a new way of dealing with a bad neighbour was Tom Fulcher of the Saskatchewan government's Safer Communities and Neighbourhood Unit ( SCAN ).
Fulcher was the guest speaker at a luncheon hosted by the Moose Jaw South-Central Regional Intersectoral Committee Wednesday at the Prairie South School Division's board office.
The 45-minute talk explained the purpose of the unit, the types of situations it is usually faced with and its solutions to cleaning up a community one neighbourhood at a time.
Fulcher said what the unit does is clean up properties that are negatively affecting a community.
He said whether there is drugs, prostitution, violence or gangs, when a complaint is made, SCAN will go in, investigate, determine whether there is an actual issue, if there is, seize the property in question and evict those currently occupying it.
" We don't target the bad guys . . . we target the house. You can always get a bad guy out of a drug house but the drug doesn't close down. They just put another bad guy in the drug house and the drugs keep getting sold."
Fulcher said his unit leaves the arrests up to the police, He doesn't really care if those people living in the residences SCAN is focusing on get arrested - just that the house is gone.
"If the house ( that is causing the neighbourhood problems ) is gone, then the neighbourhood is safer because of that."
Fulcher said the majority of the complaints his unit receives come from the community.
"I really believe people are aware of what is going on in their neighbourhood . . . you know they live there 24 hours a day, so they are aware if something has changed or if something is not right," said Fulcher.
" We really put a lot of weight on their ability to recognize something out of the norm."
Fulcher said Moose Jaw is one of the unit's most pro-active communities.
He said the majority of the complaints streaming from the Friendly City are with regard to drugs.
Fulcher said his unit is aware that what it is doing is not going to stop drugs in Moose Jaw. However, it is going to make one neighbourhood at a time safer.
For more information on SCAN visit www. saskjustice.gov.sk.ca/ Safer Communities.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a01.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 06 Nov 2009
Source: Moose Jaw Times-Herald (CN SN)
Copyright: 2009 The Moose Jaw Times-Herald Group Inc.
Contact: (306) 692-2101
Website: http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2154
Note: No email LTEs accepted - use fax or mail
Page: A3
Author: Lyndsay McCready
Monday, November 09, 2009
Sunday, November 08, 2009
WALKING THIN LINE IN VILLAGE OF ATTICA
Would-Be Informant Says Police Coerced Her into Cooperation
Bianca Hervey, a 20-year-old college student, was returning home to her apartment in Attica when a village police officer drove up behind her, put on his flashing lights and pulled her over.
It was 3 p.m. on Sept. 9, and she had just finished classes for the day at the Genesee Community College campus in nearby Warsaw. She was a block from her house.
"Do you know why I stopped you?" Hervey recalled the young officer asking her. "He told me I didn't have a license."
Hervey's driver's license, Officer Christopher Graham told her, had been suspended for failing to pay traffic tickets. He arrested her.
Graham handcuffed her, put her in the back of the police cruiser and took her to police headquarters. Her car was impounded and towed away.
At the police station, Graham handcuffed Hervey to a bench and told her she would probably spend the night in jail, Hervey said.
"I was bawling my eyes out," she said.
But then Graham offered her a way out of her problems.
Become a confidential informant for the Wyoming County Drug Task Force, he told her, and he could make the charges disappear.
Using confidential informants has been a part of police life since cops started arresting criminals. Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover formalized their use with the Top Echelon Criminal Informant Program to go after what Hoover called "the organized hoodlum element."
The idea is simple. To catch a criminal, you need someone on the inside who knows what they do.
Police departments throughout the country use people arrested on drug charges to inform on others. In return, their charges are reduced or dismissed.
Those involved in narcotics investigations say it's essential that police use those already involved in the drug trade.
"There has to be a nexus into the drug world," said a veteran officer who worked narcotics cases for five years in Western New York.
"If there is no connection," he said, "you're asking them to introduce themselves into a seedy underworld of drugs, corruption and violence, so you can gain some future targets."
But Hervey said she doesn't use drugs and, having just moved from Batavia to the tiny village of Attica, doesn't know anyone in Attica who does.
That didn't stop her recruitment as a confidential informant.
"He [Graham] said if there was someone I know who sells drugs, I would tell them I would meet them in the Burger King, like I was going to sell them drugs.
"He had me scared," Hervey said in an interview with The Buffalo News. "He even said if I didn't sign this paper, I would spend the night in jail."
She signed the contract, Graham took the handcuffs off her, and she became the newest confidential informant for the countywide drug task force.
That is until she got home and called her father, labor lawyer Richard Furlong, who went ballistic at what she had done.
After chewing out his daughter for failing to pay the traffic tickets and getting her license suspended, Furlong, a combative attorney who represents unions in their negotiations with management, went to see Attica Police Chief William Smith.
"I told him I was extremely distressed about taking a kid, scaring the daylights out of her, and using that to make her a drug informant," Furlong said.
Furlong said he is close to his daughter, talks to her daily, and is convinced she is telling him the truth that she does not use drugs, or hang around with anyone who does.
He and Hervey voided the confidential informant agreement; she paid her traffic fines and her driver's license was restored.
But Furlong said that's not the end of the story.
The Village of Attica and Wyoming County have not changed their policy on drug informants, he said, and Furlong remains distressed not only about what happened to his daughter, but what could happen to any other young person stopped by the police in Wyoming County.
"The police station is two blocks away from Attica prison," Furlong said of his conversation with the police chief. "I told him there are guys in there who are informants who can't be with the regular population because they'd get killed."
"I told him it was utterly irresponsible," he added. "I told him you're going to find a kid in the ditch with his throat slashed, or raped because they were informing on drug dealers."
Informant Killed
That happened in May 2008 in Tallahassee, Fla., when police signed up a Florida State University graduate, Rachel Hoffman, as a drug informant after arresting her on a marijuana charge. Hoffman, 23, was killed by two alleged drug dealers after police gave her money to buy drugs and a gun from the two men, but then lost their surveillance of her in the ensuing drug buy.
The Florida Legislature passed Rachel's Law to stiffen oversight on the use of confidential informants.
Smith, the police chief, doesn't apologize for his department's actions.
"Mr. Furlong doesn't like the way police do things, I guess," Smith told The News. "He doesn't like the way it's done, and I can't change his mind. It is what it is."
Won't Discuss Policy
Smith, who became the Attica chief after he retired as a lieutenant in the Buffalo Police Department's narcotics squad, refused to discuss his department's informant policy.
"All I can tell you is that I would never, after working 32 years in the city of Buffalo and out here, I would never divulge to you, or anybody else, how anybody operates," Smith said. "That is something that would never be divulged."
Peter Christ, who retired from the Tonawanda Police Department as a captain and founded Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said recruiting someone who doesn't use drugs as a drug informant is one of the reasons America is losing the war on drugs.
"When you have a doomed, failed policy," Christ said, whose organization now has more than 2,000 former cops working against the country's drug policies, "these are the kinds of things you do to try to make it seem like it's working."
Furlong took his complaints to the Attica Village Board.
"I told the board, I'm not here as a taxpayer, or as a citizen, I'm here as a parent," said Furlong, who lives in Warsaw. "This policy is taking kids who are not involved in drugs and putting a huge target on their back."
"I told them, I really applaud all efforts to get drugs off the street," Furlong added. "I represent police unions and I have the utmost respect for law enforcement."
But he failed to sway the board or Mayor William P. Lepsch.
"I support our police chief 100 percent," Lepsch told The News.
Lepsch was asked about Furlong's contention that Smith is endangering young people not involved in drugs by inducing them to act as confidential informants against drug traffickers.
"I understand that she has decided not to do it, so that's the end of that," Lepsch said. "It was her choice. She wasn't forced to do it."
After Furlong left the meeting, Lepsch said, the board discussed what he said.
"It was decided by the board that we would follow the chief; that's the policy of the department," the mayor said.
Neither Wyoming County Sheriff Ferris Heimann, nor District Attorney Gerald Stout has a problem with how Smith's department handled the case.
"I think if you talk to people who have task forces anywhere," the sheriff said, "the policy would be similar. I'm not going to talk about a specific case."
Impressive Results
Smith started the task force four years ago, said Stout, the county's chief prosecutor, and its results have been impressive.
"He's very knowledgeable," he said of Smith. "He's come down here and he has recruited some police officers who volunteer their time from the police departments we have here, and the Sheriff's Department. They've done a great job, they really have."
Asked about recruiting someone who said she is not part of the drug trade, Stout responded to The News: "But she agreed to do it."
Although Hervey's contract said she would be a confidential informant, the last clause said that if needed, she might have to testify in open court. A veteran police officer who worked narcotics cases, who asked not to be identified, said there is always a risk involved in using informants, but said they were necessary.
"When people have something to lose, when you have a good felony drug charge against them, there's a risk associated," he said.
"First, the risk of getting injured, but also the risk that the people you are ratting out would find out it's you. You're carrying a scarlet letter; you're always looking over your shoulder."
For a drug informant to work in a small village like Attica, he said, the risk is even greater, especially if the informant is not already part of the drug scene.
"Everyone knows each other," he said. "Every family knows each other. You become an informant there, you're marked for life.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a09.html
Newshawk: http://www.novembercoalition.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 8 Nov 2009
Source: Buffalo News (NY)
Copyright: 2009 The Buffalo News
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/GXIzebQL
Website: http://www.buffalonews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/61
Author: Michael Beebe, News Staff Reporter
Cited: Village of Attica http://www.wyomingco.net/towns/villageofattica.htm
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/confidential+informant
Bianca Hervey, a 20-year-old college student, was returning home to her apartment in Attica when a village police officer drove up behind her, put on his flashing lights and pulled her over.
It was 3 p.m. on Sept. 9, and she had just finished classes for the day at the Genesee Community College campus in nearby Warsaw. She was a block from her house.
"Do you know why I stopped you?" Hervey recalled the young officer asking her. "He told me I didn't have a license."
Hervey's driver's license, Officer Christopher Graham told her, had been suspended for failing to pay traffic tickets. He arrested her.
Graham handcuffed her, put her in the back of the police cruiser and took her to police headquarters. Her car was impounded and towed away.
At the police station, Graham handcuffed Hervey to a bench and told her she would probably spend the night in jail, Hervey said.
"I was bawling my eyes out," she said.
But then Graham offered her a way out of her problems.
Become a confidential informant for the Wyoming County Drug Task Force, he told her, and he could make the charges disappear.
Using confidential informants has been a part of police life since cops started arresting criminals. Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover formalized their use with the Top Echelon Criminal Informant Program to go after what Hoover called "the organized hoodlum element."
The idea is simple. To catch a criminal, you need someone on the inside who knows what they do.
Police departments throughout the country use people arrested on drug charges to inform on others. In return, their charges are reduced or dismissed.
Those involved in narcotics investigations say it's essential that police use those already involved in the drug trade.
"There has to be a nexus into the drug world," said a veteran officer who worked narcotics cases for five years in Western New York.
"If there is no connection," he said, "you're asking them to introduce themselves into a seedy underworld of drugs, corruption and violence, so you can gain some future targets."
But Hervey said she doesn't use drugs and, having just moved from Batavia to the tiny village of Attica, doesn't know anyone in Attica who does.
That didn't stop her recruitment as a confidential informant.
"He [Graham] said if there was someone I know who sells drugs, I would tell them I would meet them in the Burger King, like I was going to sell them drugs.
"He had me scared," Hervey said in an interview with The Buffalo News. "He even said if I didn't sign this paper, I would spend the night in jail."
She signed the contract, Graham took the handcuffs off her, and she became the newest confidential informant for the countywide drug task force.
That is until she got home and called her father, labor lawyer Richard Furlong, who went ballistic at what she had done.
After chewing out his daughter for failing to pay the traffic tickets and getting her license suspended, Furlong, a combative attorney who represents unions in their negotiations with management, went to see Attica Police Chief William Smith.
"I told him I was extremely distressed about taking a kid, scaring the daylights out of her, and using that to make her a drug informant," Furlong said.
Furlong said he is close to his daughter, talks to her daily, and is convinced she is telling him the truth that she does not use drugs, or hang around with anyone who does.
He and Hervey voided the confidential informant agreement; she paid her traffic fines and her driver's license was restored.
But Furlong said that's not the end of the story.
The Village of Attica and Wyoming County have not changed their policy on drug informants, he said, and Furlong remains distressed not only about what happened to his daughter, but what could happen to any other young person stopped by the police in Wyoming County.
"The police station is two blocks away from Attica prison," Furlong said of his conversation with the police chief. "I told him there are guys in there who are informants who can't be with the regular population because they'd get killed."
"I told him it was utterly irresponsible," he added. "I told him you're going to find a kid in the ditch with his throat slashed, or raped because they were informing on drug dealers."
Informant Killed
That happened in May 2008 in Tallahassee, Fla., when police signed up a Florida State University graduate, Rachel Hoffman, as a drug informant after arresting her on a marijuana charge. Hoffman, 23, was killed by two alleged drug dealers after police gave her money to buy drugs and a gun from the two men, but then lost their surveillance of her in the ensuing drug buy.
The Florida Legislature passed Rachel's Law to stiffen oversight on the use of confidential informants.
Smith, the police chief, doesn't apologize for his department's actions.
"Mr. Furlong doesn't like the way police do things, I guess," Smith told The News. "He doesn't like the way it's done, and I can't change his mind. It is what it is."
Won't Discuss Policy
Smith, who became the Attica chief after he retired as a lieutenant in the Buffalo Police Department's narcotics squad, refused to discuss his department's informant policy.
"All I can tell you is that I would never, after working 32 years in the city of Buffalo and out here, I would never divulge to you, or anybody else, how anybody operates," Smith said. "That is something that would never be divulged."
Peter Christ, who retired from the Tonawanda Police Department as a captain and founded Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said recruiting someone who doesn't use drugs as a drug informant is one of the reasons America is losing the war on drugs.
"When you have a doomed, failed policy," Christ said, whose organization now has more than 2,000 former cops working against the country's drug policies, "these are the kinds of things you do to try to make it seem like it's working."
Furlong took his complaints to the Attica Village Board.
"I told the board, I'm not here as a taxpayer, or as a citizen, I'm here as a parent," said Furlong, who lives in Warsaw. "This policy is taking kids who are not involved in drugs and putting a huge target on their back."
"I told them, I really applaud all efforts to get drugs off the street," Furlong added. "I represent police unions and I have the utmost respect for law enforcement."
But he failed to sway the board or Mayor William P. Lepsch.
"I support our police chief 100 percent," Lepsch told The News.
Lepsch was asked about Furlong's contention that Smith is endangering young people not involved in drugs by inducing them to act as confidential informants against drug traffickers.
"I understand that she has decided not to do it, so that's the end of that," Lepsch said. "It was her choice. She wasn't forced to do it."
After Furlong left the meeting, Lepsch said, the board discussed what he said.
"It was decided by the board that we would follow the chief; that's the policy of the department," the mayor said.
Neither Wyoming County Sheriff Ferris Heimann, nor District Attorney Gerald Stout has a problem with how Smith's department handled the case.
"I think if you talk to people who have task forces anywhere," the sheriff said, "the policy would be similar. I'm not going to talk about a specific case."
Impressive Results
Smith started the task force four years ago, said Stout, the county's chief prosecutor, and its results have been impressive.
"He's very knowledgeable," he said of Smith. "He's come down here and he has recruited some police officers who volunteer their time from the police departments we have here, and the Sheriff's Department. They've done a great job, they really have."
Asked about recruiting someone who said she is not part of the drug trade, Stout responded to The News: "But she agreed to do it."
Although Hervey's contract said she would be a confidential informant, the last clause said that if needed, she might have to testify in open court. A veteran police officer who worked narcotics cases, who asked not to be identified, said there is always a risk involved in using informants, but said they were necessary.
"When people have something to lose, when you have a good felony drug charge against them, there's a risk associated," he said.
"First, the risk of getting injured, but also the risk that the people you are ratting out would find out it's you. You're carrying a scarlet letter; you're always looking over your shoulder."
For a drug informant to work in a small village like Attica, he said, the risk is even greater, especially if the informant is not already part of the drug scene.
"Everyone knows each other," he said. "Every family knows each other. You become an informant there, you're marked for life.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a09.html
Newshawk: http://www.novembercoalition.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 8 Nov 2009
Source: Buffalo News (NY)
Copyright: 2009 The Buffalo News
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/GXIzebQL
Website: http://www.buffalonews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/61
Author: Michael Beebe, News Staff Reporter
Cited: Village of Attica http://www.wyomingco.net/towns/villageofattica.htm
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/confidential+informant
Saturday, November 07, 2009
THIS TEXAN OK WITH BRECK
Re.: "Done with pot heads in Breck," Letters Nov. 4:
In response to Anne from W. University, Texas, I felt compelled to offer a rebuttal:
My concern is that many locals will generalize all Texans as being rowdy, ignorant, or numb to the "local way of life." I have been to Breckenridge numerous times, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Having this "elitist" person essentially ruining the reputation of all Texans is appalling. Also, the others that have left the locals with a bad taste in their mouths, are in the minority. The majority of us Texans are well mannered, and genuinely care about others. There is no need to act the way some have, and I apologize on behalf of all of them. I will keep coming up there as many times as I can . I would miss it too much not to.
Just as Texas attracts many different types of people, so does the great state of Colorado. Differences make the world go round. Please don't let the minority ruin it for the rest of us.
To all the locals: Keep on keepin' on, do your thing . We'll be back.
Bryan Benningfield
Austin, Texas
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a08.html
Newshawk: The GCW
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 08 Nov 2009
Source: Boulder Weekly (CO)
Copyright: 2009 Boulder Weekly
Contact: letters@boulderweekly.com
Website: http://www.boulderweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/57
Author: Bryan Benningfield
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n999/a03.html
In response to Anne from W. University, Texas, I felt compelled to offer a rebuttal:
My concern is that many locals will generalize all Texans as being rowdy, ignorant, or numb to the "local way of life." I have been to Breckenridge numerous times, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Having this "elitist" person essentially ruining the reputation of all Texans is appalling. Also, the others that have left the locals with a bad taste in their mouths, are in the minority. The majority of us Texans are well mannered, and genuinely care about others. There is no need to act the way some have, and I apologize on behalf of all of them. I will keep coming up there as many times as I can . I would miss it too much not to.
Just as Texas attracts many different types of people, so does the great state of Colorado. Differences make the world go round. Please don't let the minority ruin it for the rest of us.
To all the locals: Keep on keepin' on, do your thing . We'll be back.
Bryan Benningfield
Austin, Texas
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a08.html
Newshawk: The GCW
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 08 Nov 2009
Source: Boulder Weekly (CO)
Copyright: 2009 Boulder Weekly
Contact: letters@boulderweekly.com
Website: http://www.boulderweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/57
Author: Bryan Benningfield
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n999/a03.html
Friday, November 06, 2009
SOLANO COUNTY SHOULD MAKE RULES, NOT ROADBLOCKS:
PATIENTS DESERVE ACCESS
A temporary ban preventing medical marijuana dispensaries from setting up shop on land that falls under Solano County's jurisdiction expired Friday, but not because county staff or the Board of Supervisors have been proactive about the matter.
Instead, a proposal to extend the moratorium another 22 months failed to garner the necessary four votes during last week's board meeting, leaving the county right where it was two months ago, with no clear instructions for staff should anyone apply to set up such a shop.
Supervisors Barbara Kondylis and Linda Seifert are to be commended for standing against an extended moratorium. Nearly two years was a ridiculous amount of time to "plan" to accommodate what would seem to be a natural extension of California's 13-year-old medical marijuana law. Even Solano County voters helped to enact it, agreeing that patients who are ill should be allowed access to marijuana if their doctors prescribe it.
But where are patients supposed to obtain it?
In recent years, nonprofit dispensaries have popped up to grow and distribute cannabis to patients who hold prescriptions. It has been up to cities and counties to determine the circumstances under which those dispensaries may operate.
As an Associated Press story last week described, some communities have embraced dispensaries -- and the tax revenue they bring in -- while others have sought to block them altogether.
Locally, Vacaville, Dixon and Benicia have enacted moratoriums prohibiting them.
Solano County's general plan might limit where medical marijuana dispensaries could set up, except that the county hasn't classified them.
Are they a business? If so, there are only a few places where they could operate in the unincorporated areas.
But logically, they might also be considered an agricultural enterprise. That could certainly expand the options.
During last week's meeting, Supervisor Jim Spering asked what would happen if the county received a dispensary application. Staff members said it would go through Planning Commission and then probably end up in front of supervisors.
Why waste everyone's time?
The board should enact zoning regulations to accommodate dispensaries so that Solano County patients don't have to leave the county to obtain their medicine.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a07.html
Newshawk: Jay Bergstrom
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 9 Nov 2009
Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Reporter
Contact: letters@thereporter.com
Website: http://www.thereporter.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/472
Cited: Solano County Board of Supervisors http://www.co.solano.ca.us/depts/bos/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/dispensaries
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - United States)
A temporary ban preventing medical marijuana dispensaries from setting up shop on land that falls under Solano County's jurisdiction expired Friday, but not because county staff or the Board of Supervisors have been proactive about the matter.
Instead, a proposal to extend the moratorium another 22 months failed to garner the necessary four votes during last week's board meeting, leaving the county right where it was two months ago, with no clear instructions for staff should anyone apply to set up such a shop.
Supervisors Barbara Kondylis and Linda Seifert are to be commended for standing against an extended moratorium. Nearly two years was a ridiculous amount of time to "plan" to accommodate what would seem to be a natural extension of California's 13-year-old medical marijuana law. Even Solano County voters helped to enact it, agreeing that patients who are ill should be allowed access to marijuana if their doctors prescribe it.
But where are patients supposed to obtain it?
In recent years, nonprofit dispensaries have popped up to grow and distribute cannabis to patients who hold prescriptions. It has been up to cities and counties to determine the circumstances under which those dispensaries may operate.
As an Associated Press story last week described, some communities have embraced dispensaries -- and the tax revenue they bring in -- while others have sought to block them altogether.
Locally, Vacaville, Dixon and Benicia have enacted moratoriums prohibiting them.
Solano County's general plan might limit where medical marijuana dispensaries could set up, except that the county hasn't classified them.
Are they a business? If so, there are only a few places where they could operate in the unincorporated areas.
But logically, they might also be considered an agricultural enterprise. That could certainly expand the options.
During last week's meeting, Supervisor Jim Spering asked what would happen if the county received a dispensary application. Staff members said it would go through Planning Commission and then probably end up in front of supervisors.
Why waste everyone's time?
The board should enact zoning regulations to accommodate dispensaries so that Solano County patients don't have to leave the county to obtain their medicine.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a07.html
Newshawk: Jay Bergstrom
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 9 Nov 2009
Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Reporter
Contact: letters@thereporter.com
Website: http://www.thereporter.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/472
Cited: Solano County Board of Supervisors http://www.co.solano.ca.us/depts/bos/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/dispensaries
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - United States)
Thursday, November 05, 2009
MISTRUST LINKED TO RACIAL DISPARITIES IN JUSTICE SYSTEM
As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Ninth District Congressman Steve Cohen testified last week before the panel's Crime Subcommittee on the need to examine racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Cohen is the author of H.R. 1412, the Justice Integrity Act, which would establish a pilot program to study the real and perceived racial and ethnic disparities in federal law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
The Justice Integrity Act also calls for recommendations to address any disparities or perceptions of bias that are found as a result of the study. It has been co-sponsored by 30 of Cohen's House colleagues, including Judiciary Chairman John Conyers ( D-Mich. ) Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Ben Cardin ( D-Md. ) and Arlen Specter ( D-Penn. ).
The original Senate sponsor of the Justice Integrity Act was then-Senator, and now Vice President, Joseph Biden. The bill has been endorsed by numerous organizations, including the American Bar Association, the NAACP, the ACLU, and the Brennan Center for Justice.
Excerpts from Cohen's testimony:
"Studies, reports, and case law from the last several years have documented racial disparities at many stages of the criminal justice system. This includes racial profiling of potential suspects, prosecutorial discretion over charging and plea bargaining decisions, mandatory minimum sentences, and countless other policies and decisions that may contribute to the disparities we see today.
"Even laws that are race-neutral on their face may lead to racially disparate outcomes. Our cocaine sentencing laws are one obvious example of this, and I commend Chairman ( Bobby ) ( D-Va. ) Scott for his leadership in finally addressing that issue. In addition, racial disparities are often the consequence of unconscious bias on the part of police, prosecutors, and others involved in the criminal justice system. That makes them no less real. It is important that we understand the extent of these racial disparities, the causes, and, most important, the solutions. We also need to determine whether our perception of these disparities is greater than the actual problem.
"That is why I introduced H.R. 1412, the Justice Integrity Act. This legislation would establish a five-year pilot program to create an advisory group in ten United States judicial districts headed by the U.S. Attorney for those districts. The advisory groups would consist of federal and state prosecutors and defenders, private defense counsel, judges, correctional officers, victims' rights representatives, civil rights organizations, business representatives, and faith-based organizations.
"The advisory groups would be responsible for gathering data on the presence, cause, and extent of racial and ethnic disparities at each stage of the criminal justice system. Each advisory group would recommend a plan, specific to each district, to ensure progress towards racial and ethnic equality. The U.S. Attorney would consider the advisory group's recommendations, adopt a plan, and submit a report to the Attorney General. The bill would require the Attorney General to submit a comprehensive report to Congress at the end of the pilot program, outlining the results from all ten districts and recommending best practices.
"I want to emphasize two of this bill's most important elements. First, it envisions an inclusive process that brings together all of the relevant stakeholders. Second, by establishing advisory groups throughout the country, it recognizes that different communities face different problems and require different solutions.
"Racial disparities have engendered a crisis of public trust in the integrity of the criminal justice system and fueled community perceptions of bias. When the system is perceived to be unfair towards racial minorities, communities can become reluctant to report crimes or cooperate with police and prosecutors. This reluctance to work with law enforcement can make it more difficult to catch criminals and protect the very people who distrust the justice system, thereby perpetuating a mistrust of the system. We must do what we can to end this cycle of mistrust.
"The first step is to understand the full scope of the problem we are facing. This hearing is critical to that endeavor. I believe the Justice Integrity Act would expand upon today's important hearing. It would also undertake a systematic process to bring together all of the stakeholders and develop concrete solutions. It would help restore public confidence in the criminal justice system and ensure the fair and equal treatment of all Americans."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a06.html
Newshawk: http://www.novembercoalition.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 6 Nov 2009
Source: Tri-State Defender (Memphis, TN)
Page: Front Page
Contact: editorial@tri-statedefender.com
Copyright: 2009 Tri-State Defender
Website: http://tri-statedefenderonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5092
Referenced: Justice Integrity Act
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1412 and
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h1412:
The Justice Integrity Act also calls for recommendations to address any disparities or perceptions of bias that are found as a result of the study. It has been co-sponsored by 30 of Cohen's House colleagues, including Judiciary Chairman John Conyers ( D-Mich. ) Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Ben Cardin ( D-Md. ) and Arlen Specter ( D-Penn. ).
The original Senate sponsor of the Justice Integrity Act was then-Senator, and now Vice President, Joseph Biden. The bill has been endorsed by numerous organizations, including the American Bar Association, the NAACP, the ACLU, and the Brennan Center for Justice.
Excerpts from Cohen's testimony:
"Studies, reports, and case law from the last several years have documented racial disparities at many stages of the criminal justice system. This includes racial profiling of potential suspects, prosecutorial discretion over charging and plea bargaining decisions, mandatory minimum sentences, and countless other policies and decisions that may contribute to the disparities we see today.
"Even laws that are race-neutral on their face may lead to racially disparate outcomes. Our cocaine sentencing laws are one obvious example of this, and I commend Chairman ( Bobby ) ( D-Va. ) Scott for his leadership in finally addressing that issue. In addition, racial disparities are often the consequence of unconscious bias on the part of police, prosecutors, and others involved in the criminal justice system. That makes them no less real. It is important that we understand the extent of these racial disparities, the causes, and, most important, the solutions. We also need to determine whether our perception of these disparities is greater than the actual problem.
"That is why I introduced H.R. 1412, the Justice Integrity Act. This legislation would establish a five-year pilot program to create an advisory group in ten United States judicial districts headed by the U.S. Attorney for those districts. The advisory groups would consist of federal and state prosecutors and defenders, private defense counsel, judges, correctional officers, victims' rights representatives, civil rights organizations, business representatives, and faith-based organizations.
"The advisory groups would be responsible for gathering data on the presence, cause, and extent of racial and ethnic disparities at each stage of the criminal justice system. Each advisory group would recommend a plan, specific to each district, to ensure progress towards racial and ethnic equality. The U.S. Attorney would consider the advisory group's recommendations, adopt a plan, and submit a report to the Attorney General. The bill would require the Attorney General to submit a comprehensive report to Congress at the end of the pilot program, outlining the results from all ten districts and recommending best practices.
"I want to emphasize two of this bill's most important elements. First, it envisions an inclusive process that brings together all of the relevant stakeholders. Second, by establishing advisory groups throughout the country, it recognizes that different communities face different problems and require different solutions.
"Racial disparities have engendered a crisis of public trust in the integrity of the criminal justice system and fueled community perceptions of bias. When the system is perceived to be unfair towards racial minorities, communities can become reluctant to report crimes or cooperate with police and prosecutors. This reluctance to work with law enforcement can make it more difficult to catch criminals and protect the very people who distrust the justice system, thereby perpetuating a mistrust of the system. We must do what we can to end this cycle of mistrust.
"The first step is to understand the full scope of the problem we are facing. This hearing is critical to that endeavor. I believe the Justice Integrity Act would expand upon today's important hearing. It would also undertake a systematic process to bring together all of the stakeholders and develop concrete solutions. It would help restore public confidence in the criminal justice system and ensure the fair and equal treatment of all Americans."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n1009/a06.html
Newshawk: http://www.novembercoalition.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 6 Nov 2009
Source: Tri-State Defender (Memphis, TN)
Page: Front Page
Contact: editorial@tri-statedefender.com
Copyright: 2009 Tri-State Defender
Website: http://tri-statedefenderonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5092
Referenced: Justice Integrity Act
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1412 and
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h1412:
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
DRUGS POLICY: SHOOTING UP THE MESSENGER
Professor David Nutt is an expert in his field: a professor of psychopharmacology at Bristol University and head of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London. He knows more about the brain's responses to anxiety, addiction and sleep than any politician or media commentator. He is precisely the sort of man who should be helping the government shape its drugs policy, which is why he was appointed and then reappointed to serve as chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. That is also why it is such a disgrace that Alan Johnson, the home secretary, sacked him late yesterday afternoon for having the temerity to point out some obvious truths about the government's populist and unthinking handling of the issue.
Mr Johnson, it seems, welcomes independent advice when it agrees with his own prejudices but does not have the strength of character to listen to people who tell him difficult truths.
Perhaps he would rather Professor Nutt had continued to tolerate past practice, which was to repeatedly advise the government that not all illegal drugs are as dangerous as some influential newspapers claim, and that not all legal ones are safe, and then find that advice rejected just as repeatedly by ministers.
Instead the professor made his views public this week, in a speech and in a pamphlet for the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. In it, he confronted government policy.
But what is the point of having an independent panel of experts if its members are sacked when they offer expert advice?
In a statement yesterday the Home Office said it remained "determined to crack down on all illegal substances and minimise their harm to health and society as a whole". Nothing Professor Nutt believes contradicts the important part of that statement the need to minimise the harm drugs cause.
But he is not the only person to see the idiocy in a policy that declares some drugs ( cannabis among them ) illegal, while others ( alcohol, obviously ) are not. "Alcohol ranks as the fifth most harmful drug after heroin, cocaine, barbiturates and methadone. Tobacco is ranked ninth," he argued. "Cannabis, LSD and ecstasy, while harmful, are ranked lower at 11, 14 and 18 respectively."
Mr Johnson is the second home secretary to find Professor Nutt's views challenging, but the only one to sack him. When Professor Nutt pointed out to Jacqui Smith that 100 people die a year from riding horses, and only 30 from ecstasy, the press got excited.
But no one could show that it wasn't true. Drugs cause harm. Drugs law is a fraught issue.
A brave minister would take advice and accept that the government might be in the wrong.
Shooting the messenger is stupid and dangerous.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n995/a08.html
Newshawk: Science Clashes With Politics www.mapinc.org/alert/0418.html
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sat, 31 Oct 2009
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Copyright: 2009 Guardian News and Media Limited
Contact: letters@guardian.co.uk
Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/David+Nutt
Mr Johnson, it seems, welcomes independent advice when it agrees with his own prejudices but does not have the strength of character to listen to people who tell him difficult truths.
Perhaps he would rather Professor Nutt had continued to tolerate past practice, which was to repeatedly advise the government that not all illegal drugs are as dangerous as some influential newspapers claim, and that not all legal ones are safe, and then find that advice rejected just as repeatedly by ministers.
Instead the professor made his views public this week, in a speech and in a pamphlet for the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. In it, he confronted government policy.
But what is the point of having an independent panel of experts if its members are sacked when they offer expert advice?
In a statement yesterday the Home Office said it remained "determined to crack down on all illegal substances and minimise their harm to health and society as a whole". Nothing Professor Nutt believes contradicts the important part of that statement the need to minimise the harm drugs cause.
But he is not the only person to see the idiocy in a policy that declares some drugs ( cannabis among them ) illegal, while others ( alcohol, obviously ) are not. "Alcohol ranks as the fifth most harmful drug after heroin, cocaine, barbiturates and methadone. Tobacco is ranked ninth," he argued. "Cannabis, LSD and ecstasy, while harmful, are ranked lower at 11, 14 and 18 respectively."
Mr Johnson is the second home secretary to find Professor Nutt's views challenging, but the only one to sack him. When Professor Nutt pointed out to Jacqui Smith that 100 people die a year from riding horses, and only 30 from ecstasy, the press got excited.
But no one could show that it wasn't true. Drugs cause harm. Drugs law is a fraught issue.
A brave minister would take advice and accept that the government might be in the wrong.
Shooting the messenger is stupid and dangerous.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n995/a08.html
Newshawk: Science Clashes With Politics www.mapinc.org/alert/0418.html
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sat, 31 Oct 2009
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Copyright: 2009 Guardian News and Media Limited
Contact: letters@guardian.co.uk
Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/David+Nutt
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
LETHAL HEROIN, KILLER COKE AND EXPO 86: HOW THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FELL APART
It Was A Cohesive Community -- Until Potent Drugs Changed Everything
This is a condensed version of Chapter 3 of the new book A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the Fight for Its Future.
Ken Hodgins was living in a Downtown Eastside hotel and was wanted for ten armed robberies when he was shot and killed by police on January 2, 1991, after refusing officers' repeated requests to drop his loaded gun. Hodgins, 37, had committed the robberies to support a severe heroin habit that was costing him at least $500 daily, and he had taken eight caps of heroin an hour before his encounter with police. At the coroner's inquest into Hodgins' death, his parole officer submitted a report that said, "Although the subject died of gunshot wounds, it would seem that in reality he died of heroin addiction."
Hodgins had a stable family life and a good-paying job as a tree faller on Vancouver Island when a series of tragedies led to him using a syringe to manage his grief. His habit had become extreme by 1986, when he was charged with 16 robberies and convicted of committing nine. Three years later, a Corrections Canada report concluded: "Kenneth Hodgins no doubt has a great deal of potential. He has employment skills that are marketable. He has a sincere desire to be a positive role model for his son. What he is lacking however appears to be the intestinal fortitude that it will require for him to leave heroin use behind him."
Hodgins was dead less than four months after being released from prison in 1990.
In his address to the jury, Coroner Larry Campbell spelled out the dire consequences of not doing more to help those with debilitating drug habits: "As the coroner for the city of Vancouver for the past ten years, I have dealt with literally hundreds of deaths involving heroin addiction. Fortunately most of them do not involve the police and shooting, but violence has almost always touched the lives of the addict at one time or another. You are just as surely dead from an overdose as from a bullet or knife. . . .
"There is no doubt that this addiction is an illness as surely as cancer, heart disease or a tumour. The difficulty is in the treatment, and while certain successes have been registered, the problem appears to continue unabated."
Philosophical shift
Campbell's conclusions marked a philosophical shift from his beliefs a decade earlier when he was a RCMP drug officer, and were progressive in the 1980s and early '90s when many officials were still approaching addiction as a criminal problem.
The complexities of Hodgins's case were tragic but not rare. The evolution of drugs through the 1980s had created chaos. Between 1984 and 1987 there were fewer than twenty heroin overdose deaths annually in B.C., but in 1988 the number of overdose deaths jumped to 39 and then began a meteoric rise.
According to provincial toxicology reports, the purity of heroin seized on the street between 1984 and 1993 surged from an average of six per cent potency to more than 60 per cent. Unlike in eastern Canada, where high-strength drugs had always been a market option, users in B.C. had no idea about the purity of the drug they were injecting, and most of the carnage was taking place on the streets of the Downtown Eastside.
Although the death rate was increasing, the neighbourhood was still a functional, stable place for people to live in the 1980s, Campbell recalls. There were no violent turf wars among dealers, since the drug trade in Vancouver was controlled by three or four groups. Most addicts were injecting heroin, a drug that made its users relatively mellow.
"The biggest eye-opener I had was how cohesive the community was," Campbell says of his early years as a coroner. "It was a place you could go where, if you were different, you wouldn't be judged. There was a sense that if you were down and out, someone would help you, would take you in for the night. For the retirees and widows, it was not a bad life."
Campbell remembers being called to a rooming house where a retired logger was slumped dead over his kitchen table, an open newspaper and a lottery ticket nearby. The man had just won the lottery, but whether the sudden windfall had caused his heart attack couldn't be known for sure. The man's relatives, who had long dismissed him as a drunk but would inherit his new-found money, wanted to cremate him in a cardboard box. The beat officers in the neighbourhood, outraged by this, devised a plan to ensure the man would be given a proper funeral, Campbell recalls. The officers told his relatives the man should be buried in an expensive casket at a proper wake with food and drinks; all of it could be paid for from the lottery winnings. Limousines were rented to take about 30 of the man's Downtown Eastside friends to the funeral.
"I remember these guys showing up in suits out of the '40s, with ties so wide you could land a jet on them. They were all just family down there. They had this incredible funeral," Campbell says today. The number of low-income hotels in the Downtown Eastside continued to decline in the 1980s. The person who fought hardest to reverse the closures was Jim Green, an outspoken football- and opera-loving man with a master's degree in anthropology who became a fierce protector of the community's housing stock.
Green, who took over the Downtown Eastside Residents' Association in 1980, wrote a report calling on the city to start protecting low-income rooms, especially with the World's Fair, Expo 86, coming to Vancouver the following year. "Over the past four years approximately 2,000 units of housing have been lost in the Downtown Eastside. With the approach of Expo the number of units lost will increase drastically," predicted Green's 1985 report, Housing Conditions and Population in the Downtown Eastside.
Ghost of a tenant
Still today, the ghost of evicted tenant Olaf Solheim continues to haunt the neighbourhood.
Solheim, a retired logger, had lived in the Patricia Hotel on East Hastings for more than 40 years, but he was kicked out when the hotel went upscale to house tourists during Expo 86. At age 88, he was relocated to the Columbia Hotel, but he wouldn't unpack his meagre belongings, refused to eat, and often returned to the Patricia in a confused state. Six weeks after his eviction, Solheim was dead. Vancouver's medical health officer said Solheim's passing was caused, in part, by the shock of losing his home.
Vancouver's Expo 86 was officially declared a success, with government claiming the World's Fair had brought not only tourists but ongoing financial benefits to B.C. But not everyone in the Downtown Eastside agreed with that assessment.
While Jim Green argued the biggest legacy from the fair was a loss of housing, Judy Graves would have said it was a shift in the community's drug culture.
"[The government] told us they were bringing us a world-class city, but what they brought us was world-class drugs," laments Graves, who from 1979 to 1991 worked at Cordova House, a facility opened by the city in the 1970s to house the 67 people police had identified as the most problematic in the neighbourhood.
Many service providers were unprepared for the changes more potent cocaine would bring; they hadn't even believed cocaine was addictive, because initially it was so weak. Stronger cocaine at the same low prices arrived with Expo, Graves says, and when people got hooked the prices were jacked up. After Expo, Graves saw dealers from other countries moving into some notorious Downtown Eastside hotels, and she recalls turf wars erupting over the lucrative drug business.
It hit the newspapers in July 1986 that "killer coke" had caused six fatal overdoses in the past year; cocaine had evolved from being a drug only the rich dabbled in to one accessible to poverty-stricken addicts.
Pure coke
And by the early 1990s, the availability of cocaine was combined with life-threatening purity levels of more than 90 per cent. In the past, cocaine sold at the street level had usually run between fifty and seventy-five per cent purity. Police were warning addicts to "step on" ( street jargon for dilute ) their scores to prevent more deaths. Young drug users were warned against a fashionable combination of heroin and cocaine called a "speedball," also proving to be lethal.
Donald MacPherson, today Vancouver's drug policy coordinator, had a front-row view of the neighbourhood's troubles in the late 1980s while he ran the Carnegie Community Centre's adult literacy program.
At first MacPherson saw the core problems of the Downtown Eastside as alcohol or cheap substitutes like shoe polish and Lysol. He used as his unofficial measuring stick the roof of the Carnegie Centre. "It would be littered with Lysol cans from the Roosevelt Hotel next door," he recalls.
But users were soon shooting up drugs in plain view on the streets. And there were suddenly two or three 24-hour grocery stores on every block with bare shelves and a booming under-the-counter cocaine business. MacPherson's unofficial barometer was revealing different information by the early 1990s: "I'd go up to the top of the Carnegie Centre, and it was covered with syringes from the Roosevelt Hotel."
It was wild on the streets at the corner of Main and Hastings, and MacPherson recalls Carnegie Centre employees regularly helping people in distress. "Our door staff were reviving people every day in the washrooms who were blue," he says. There were so many memorial services for locals who had fatally overdosed that it seemed they were happening daily.
Yet the drug-free Carnegie Centre maintained some normalcy inside during these turbulent times. The Carnegie offered a learning centre, a library, a kitchen program, a seniors' program, camping trips, coffee, and crafts. "The Chinese ladies would come in for the ballroom dance classes from [the suburbs] on Sunday afternoons and weed through all the chaos out front," MacPherson recalls.
Drug use booms
By late 1988, injection drug use had so increased in prevalence that John Turvey, the founder of the Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society, started single-handedly giving out 3,000 clean syringes a month to try to reduce the spread of infectious diseases among addicts.
Alongside him was Jerry Adams, who was hired by Turvey as a DEYAS outreach worker in 1986. He says Turvey, a former heroin addict who got clean in the 1970s, would walk the streets for hours, plucking clean rigs from his green army bag to give to surprised users. "I saw the first needles getting handed out," recalls Adams. "It was quite an amazing thing." Turvey received the Order of British Columbia in 1984 for his social work on the street, and he was recognized by the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control in 1988 for his needle distribution.
DEYAS eventually secured $100,000 in government funding and got permission in 1989 to open Canada's first official needle exchange. Five hundred addicts were using it regularly by the end of its first month. DEYAS hired two extra staff, who drove a big green van, initially handing out about 10,000 new rigs a month and collecting old ones.
"John did this work out of his heart. He had a volatile temper, but John was all heart. He was very concerned for these people," recalls Adams. ( Turvey would be mourned by many in the Downtown Eastside when he died in 2006 of mitochondrial myopathy, a fatal muscle and nerve disorder, at the age of 61. )
There was a public outcry from those who argued the needle exchange enabled drug users to keep injecting. Coroner Larry Campbell flatly rejected that position, saying the needle exchange was necessary to keep addicts healthy until governments could be persuaded to properly fund detox and recovery facilities. "All they were trying to do was keep people alive until someone woke up and put real money into this. If it had been any other disease, we would have been on it like a rash," Campbell says today. "There was certainly a recognition out there that addiction was an illness, but it was more often seen as a criminal event. And there was virtually no treatment."
By August 1992, the coroners service was lamenting that five young people a week across B.C. -- ranging from those homeless on the streets to healthy recreational users -- were dying from drug overdoses.
Campbell's morgue was becoming increasingly crowded, and the coroner knew something major needed to change.
A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the Fight for Its Future is published by Greystone Books, an imprint of D&M Publishers Inc., and available in bookstores Saturday.
A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the Fight for Its Future, written by Larry Campbell, Neil Boyd and Lori Culbert, reaches book stores on Saturday. The book, which chronicles the history of this neighbourhood and makes recommendations for its future, is a collaboration by Vancouver's former chief coroner and mayor; oft-quoted Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil Boyd; and Vancouver Sun reporter Lori Culbert. The Sun is publishing condensed versions of three chapters from the book.
Today: Lethal Heroin, Killer Coke, and Expo 86
Chapter 3 is set in the 1980s and early '90s, when drug addiction began to escalate in the neighbourhood.
Friday: Canada's First Supervised Injection Site
Chapter 12 looks at one of the key harm-reduction initiatives to combat drug addiction.
Saturday: The Road Ahead
Chapter 17 calls for solutions to make the neighbourhood healthier and raises crucial questions for other large North American cities.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n976/a05.html
Newshawk: CMAP http://www.mapinc.org/cmap
Votes: 0
Webpage: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/todays-paper/Lethal+Heroin+Killer+Coke+Expo+Downtown+East
Pubdate: Thu, 29 Oct 2009
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Larry Campbell, Neil Boyd and Lori Culbert
This is a condensed version of Chapter 3 of the new book A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the Fight for Its Future.
Ken Hodgins was living in a Downtown Eastside hotel and was wanted for ten armed robberies when he was shot and killed by police on January 2, 1991, after refusing officers' repeated requests to drop his loaded gun. Hodgins, 37, had committed the robberies to support a severe heroin habit that was costing him at least $500 daily, and he had taken eight caps of heroin an hour before his encounter with police. At the coroner's inquest into Hodgins' death, his parole officer submitted a report that said, "Although the subject died of gunshot wounds, it would seem that in reality he died of heroin addiction."
Hodgins had a stable family life and a good-paying job as a tree faller on Vancouver Island when a series of tragedies led to him using a syringe to manage his grief. His habit had become extreme by 1986, when he was charged with 16 robberies and convicted of committing nine. Three years later, a Corrections Canada report concluded: "Kenneth Hodgins no doubt has a great deal of potential. He has employment skills that are marketable. He has a sincere desire to be a positive role model for his son. What he is lacking however appears to be the intestinal fortitude that it will require for him to leave heroin use behind him."
Hodgins was dead less than four months after being released from prison in 1990.
In his address to the jury, Coroner Larry Campbell spelled out the dire consequences of not doing more to help those with debilitating drug habits: "As the coroner for the city of Vancouver for the past ten years, I have dealt with literally hundreds of deaths involving heroin addiction. Fortunately most of them do not involve the police and shooting, but violence has almost always touched the lives of the addict at one time or another. You are just as surely dead from an overdose as from a bullet or knife. . . .
"There is no doubt that this addiction is an illness as surely as cancer, heart disease or a tumour. The difficulty is in the treatment, and while certain successes have been registered, the problem appears to continue unabated."
Philosophical shift
Campbell's conclusions marked a philosophical shift from his beliefs a decade earlier when he was a RCMP drug officer, and were progressive in the 1980s and early '90s when many officials were still approaching addiction as a criminal problem.
The complexities of Hodgins's case were tragic but not rare. The evolution of drugs through the 1980s had created chaos. Between 1984 and 1987 there were fewer than twenty heroin overdose deaths annually in B.C., but in 1988 the number of overdose deaths jumped to 39 and then began a meteoric rise.
According to provincial toxicology reports, the purity of heroin seized on the street between 1984 and 1993 surged from an average of six per cent potency to more than 60 per cent. Unlike in eastern Canada, where high-strength drugs had always been a market option, users in B.C. had no idea about the purity of the drug they were injecting, and most of the carnage was taking place on the streets of the Downtown Eastside.
Although the death rate was increasing, the neighbourhood was still a functional, stable place for people to live in the 1980s, Campbell recalls. There were no violent turf wars among dealers, since the drug trade in Vancouver was controlled by three or four groups. Most addicts were injecting heroin, a drug that made its users relatively mellow.
"The biggest eye-opener I had was how cohesive the community was," Campbell says of his early years as a coroner. "It was a place you could go where, if you were different, you wouldn't be judged. There was a sense that if you were down and out, someone would help you, would take you in for the night. For the retirees and widows, it was not a bad life."
Campbell remembers being called to a rooming house where a retired logger was slumped dead over his kitchen table, an open newspaper and a lottery ticket nearby. The man had just won the lottery, but whether the sudden windfall had caused his heart attack couldn't be known for sure. The man's relatives, who had long dismissed him as a drunk but would inherit his new-found money, wanted to cremate him in a cardboard box. The beat officers in the neighbourhood, outraged by this, devised a plan to ensure the man would be given a proper funeral, Campbell recalls. The officers told his relatives the man should be buried in an expensive casket at a proper wake with food and drinks; all of it could be paid for from the lottery winnings. Limousines were rented to take about 30 of the man's Downtown Eastside friends to the funeral.
"I remember these guys showing up in suits out of the '40s, with ties so wide you could land a jet on them. They were all just family down there. They had this incredible funeral," Campbell says today. The number of low-income hotels in the Downtown Eastside continued to decline in the 1980s. The person who fought hardest to reverse the closures was Jim Green, an outspoken football- and opera-loving man with a master's degree in anthropology who became a fierce protector of the community's housing stock.
Green, who took over the Downtown Eastside Residents' Association in 1980, wrote a report calling on the city to start protecting low-income rooms, especially with the World's Fair, Expo 86, coming to Vancouver the following year. "Over the past four years approximately 2,000 units of housing have been lost in the Downtown Eastside. With the approach of Expo the number of units lost will increase drastically," predicted Green's 1985 report, Housing Conditions and Population in the Downtown Eastside.
Ghost of a tenant
Still today, the ghost of evicted tenant Olaf Solheim continues to haunt the neighbourhood.
Solheim, a retired logger, had lived in the Patricia Hotel on East Hastings for more than 40 years, but he was kicked out when the hotel went upscale to house tourists during Expo 86. At age 88, he was relocated to the Columbia Hotel, but he wouldn't unpack his meagre belongings, refused to eat, and often returned to the Patricia in a confused state. Six weeks after his eviction, Solheim was dead. Vancouver's medical health officer said Solheim's passing was caused, in part, by the shock of losing his home.
Vancouver's Expo 86 was officially declared a success, with government claiming the World's Fair had brought not only tourists but ongoing financial benefits to B.C. But not everyone in the Downtown Eastside agreed with that assessment.
While Jim Green argued the biggest legacy from the fair was a loss of housing, Judy Graves would have said it was a shift in the community's drug culture.
"[The government] told us they were bringing us a world-class city, but what they brought us was world-class drugs," laments Graves, who from 1979 to 1991 worked at Cordova House, a facility opened by the city in the 1970s to house the 67 people police had identified as the most problematic in the neighbourhood.
Many service providers were unprepared for the changes more potent cocaine would bring; they hadn't even believed cocaine was addictive, because initially it was so weak. Stronger cocaine at the same low prices arrived with Expo, Graves says, and when people got hooked the prices were jacked up. After Expo, Graves saw dealers from other countries moving into some notorious Downtown Eastside hotels, and she recalls turf wars erupting over the lucrative drug business.
It hit the newspapers in July 1986 that "killer coke" had caused six fatal overdoses in the past year; cocaine had evolved from being a drug only the rich dabbled in to one accessible to poverty-stricken addicts.
Pure coke
And by the early 1990s, the availability of cocaine was combined with life-threatening purity levels of more than 90 per cent. In the past, cocaine sold at the street level had usually run between fifty and seventy-five per cent purity. Police were warning addicts to "step on" ( street jargon for dilute ) their scores to prevent more deaths. Young drug users were warned against a fashionable combination of heroin and cocaine called a "speedball," also proving to be lethal.
Donald MacPherson, today Vancouver's drug policy coordinator, had a front-row view of the neighbourhood's troubles in the late 1980s while he ran the Carnegie Community Centre's adult literacy program.
At first MacPherson saw the core problems of the Downtown Eastside as alcohol or cheap substitutes like shoe polish and Lysol. He used as his unofficial measuring stick the roof of the Carnegie Centre. "It would be littered with Lysol cans from the Roosevelt Hotel next door," he recalls.
But users were soon shooting up drugs in plain view on the streets. And there were suddenly two or three 24-hour grocery stores on every block with bare shelves and a booming under-the-counter cocaine business. MacPherson's unofficial barometer was revealing different information by the early 1990s: "I'd go up to the top of the Carnegie Centre, and it was covered with syringes from the Roosevelt Hotel."
It was wild on the streets at the corner of Main and Hastings, and MacPherson recalls Carnegie Centre employees regularly helping people in distress. "Our door staff were reviving people every day in the washrooms who were blue," he says. There were so many memorial services for locals who had fatally overdosed that it seemed they were happening daily.
Yet the drug-free Carnegie Centre maintained some normalcy inside during these turbulent times. The Carnegie offered a learning centre, a library, a kitchen program, a seniors' program, camping trips, coffee, and crafts. "The Chinese ladies would come in for the ballroom dance classes from [the suburbs] on Sunday afternoons and weed through all the chaos out front," MacPherson recalls.
Drug use booms
By late 1988, injection drug use had so increased in prevalence that John Turvey, the founder of the Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society, started single-handedly giving out 3,000 clean syringes a month to try to reduce the spread of infectious diseases among addicts.
Alongside him was Jerry Adams, who was hired by Turvey as a DEYAS outreach worker in 1986. He says Turvey, a former heroin addict who got clean in the 1970s, would walk the streets for hours, plucking clean rigs from his green army bag to give to surprised users. "I saw the first needles getting handed out," recalls Adams. "It was quite an amazing thing." Turvey received the Order of British Columbia in 1984 for his social work on the street, and he was recognized by the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control in 1988 for his needle distribution.
DEYAS eventually secured $100,000 in government funding and got permission in 1989 to open Canada's first official needle exchange. Five hundred addicts were using it regularly by the end of its first month. DEYAS hired two extra staff, who drove a big green van, initially handing out about 10,000 new rigs a month and collecting old ones.
"John did this work out of his heart. He had a volatile temper, but John was all heart. He was very concerned for these people," recalls Adams. ( Turvey would be mourned by many in the Downtown Eastside when he died in 2006 of mitochondrial myopathy, a fatal muscle and nerve disorder, at the age of 61. )
There was a public outcry from those who argued the needle exchange enabled drug users to keep injecting. Coroner Larry Campbell flatly rejected that position, saying the needle exchange was necessary to keep addicts healthy until governments could be persuaded to properly fund detox and recovery facilities. "All they were trying to do was keep people alive until someone woke up and put real money into this. If it had been any other disease, we would have been on it like a rash," Campbell says today. "There was certainly a recognition out there that addiction was an illness, but it was more often seen as a criminal event. And there was virtually no treatment."
By August 1992, the coroners service was lamenting that five young people a week across B.C. -- ranging from those homeless on the streets to healthy recreational users -- were dying from drug overdoses.
Campbell's morgue was becoming increasingly crowded, and the coroner knew something major needed to change.
A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the Fight for Its Future is published by Greystone Books, an imprint of D&M Publishers Inc., and available in bookstores Saturday.
A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and the Fight for Its Future, written by Larry Campbell, Neil Boyd and Lori Culbert, reaches book stores on Saturday. The book, which chronicles the history of this neighbourhood and makes recommendations for its future, is a collaboration by Vancouver's former chief coroner and mayor; oft-quoted Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil Boyd; and Vancouver Sun reporter Lori Culbert. The Sun is publishing condensed versions of three chapters from the book.
Today: Lethal Heroin, Killer Coke, and Expo 86
Chapter 3 is set in the 1980s and early '90s, when drug addiction began to escalate in the neighbourhood.
Friday: Canada's First Supervised Injection Site
Chapter 12 looks at one of the key harm-reduction initiatives to combat drug addiction.
Saturday: The Road Ahead
Chapter 17 calls for solutions to make the neighbourhood healthier and raises crucial questions for other large North American cities.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n976/a05.html
Newshawk: CMAP http://www.mapinc.org/cmap
Votes: 0
Webpage: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/todays-paper/Lethal+Heroin+Killer+Coke+Expo+Downtown+East
Pubdate: Thu, 29 Oct 2009
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Larry Campbell, Neil Boyd and Lori Culbert
Monday, November 02, 2009
33 ARRESTED; RING MOVED MARIJUANA IN BACKPACKS
A traffic stop made by a Pinal County sheriff's deputy in Case Grande nearly a year ago has helped dismantle a drug-running operation that employed workers delivering marijuana in backpacks on foot from Mexico to Pinal County for various Mexican drug cartels.
During a press conference in Phoenix, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Attorney General Terry Goddard and Drug Enforcement Agency officials announced 33 arrests in connection with the operation, including its ringleader, and the seizure of a number of stash houses that were raided throughout southwestern Pinal County with the assistance of Mesa and Tempe police SWAT teams on Oct. 14.
The investigation began 10 months ago, soon after a traffic stop was made on Dec. 8 in the Maricopa area that involved a search and seizure of $228,000 in cash, according to Babeu. That traffic stop later allowed investigators to make connections to home invasions and kidnappings throughout the county as part of the ring's operations, Babeu said.
Twenty-one vehicles, including a phony FBI car the ring was using, two tons of marijuana, about $418,000 in cash and nine firearms also were seized in connection with the operation authorities described as a transportation organization and the largest drug bust in Pinal County history.
The investigation is ongoing and has returned 21 indictments so far on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, including ringleader Roberto Hernandez, 39, of Arizona City, who owns Chateau Construction and Tri-Valley Stucco in Casa Grande.
"We've taken out an entire transportation system," Goddard said. "This group was quite violent in the way they treated their opponents. Marijuana was their ticket into the U.S. If we can break the link from border to distribution, drug smuggling operations are in jeopardy."
The workers would carry 50 to 100 pounds of marijuana in backpacks into the U.S. through a porous region along the Mexico-U.S. border sometimes for as long as a 10-day trek after stopping at the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation in southern Arizona before moving on to Pinal County. Carrying the marijuana in backpacks is a noticeable trend in how drugs are being smuggled into the U.S.
Pinal County teenagers were recruited to meet the workers and drive the drugs to stash houses, Babeu said. Those involved in the operation are a mixture of U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants from Mexico, authorities said.
"This happened because of good police work and cooperation," Babeu said of the takedown. "We were able to cripple a very elaborate network, and this is only scratching the surface. It is becoming increasingly violent."
The ring had been in business for three years and distributed and sold an estimated 60,000 pounds of marijuana a year for various Mexican drug cartels throughout Pinal County, the East Valley and nationally, according to Babeu and Goddard. The revenue generated millions of dollars returning to Mexico and helped to fund violence between drug cartels.
In addition to the current charges, several lead defendants also face charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery relating to their alleged scheme to impersonate law enforcement officers so they could rob and possibly murder competing drug traffickers in the southern Arizona desert, according to authorities. The phony law enforcement vehicle the ring had in its arsenal had been altered to look like a police car and contained a hat with "FBI" written on the front.
Among others arrested in connection with the operation: Johnny Calvin, 43; David Chavez, 21; Judy Monarraz-Pena, 28; Fernando Orona-Magallanez, 27; and John Rodriguez, 38.
Elizabeth Kempshall, special agent in charge for the Drug Enforcement Agency, said that the takedown was a major victory against drugs being brought into the U.S.
"This isn't like it was 20 years ago," Kempshall said. "By cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and through the sharing of intelligence and techniques, we're able to take out these organizations and show them they can't hide."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a01.html
Newshawk: Kirk
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009
Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ)
Copyright: 2009 East Valley Tribune.
Contact: forum@aztrib.com
Website: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2708
Author: Mike Sakal, Tribune
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
During a press conference in Phoenix, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Attorney General Terry Goddard and Drug Enforcement Agency officials announced 33 arrests in connection with the operation, including its ringleader, and the seizure of a number of stash houses that were raided throughout southwestern Pinal County with the assistance of Mesa and Tempe police SWAT teams on Oct. 14.
The investigation began 10 months ago, soon after a traffic stop was made on Dec. 8 in the Maricopa area that involved a search and seizure of $228,000 in cash, according to Babeu. That traffic stop later allowed investigators to make connections to home invasions and kidnappings throughout the county as part of the ring's operations, Babeu said.
Twenty-one vehicles, including a phony FBI car the ring was using, two tons of marijuana, about $418,000 in cash and nine firearms also were seized in connection with the operation authorities described as a transportation organization and the largest drug bust in Pinal County history.
The investigation is ongoing and has returned 21 indictments so far on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, including ringleader Roberto Hernandez, 39, of Arizona City, who owns Chateau Construction and Tri-Valley Stucco in Casa Grande.
"We've taken out an entire transportation system," Goddard said. "This group was quite violent in the way they treated their opponents. Marijuana was their ticket into the U.S. If we can break the link from border to distribution, drug smuggling operations are in jeopardy."
The workers would carry 50 to 100 pounds of marijuana in backpacks into the U.S. through a porous region along the Mexico-U.S. border sometimes for as long as a 10-day trek after stopping at the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation in southern Arizona before moving on to Pinal County. Carrying the marijuana in backpacks is a noticeable trend in how drugs are being smuggled into the U.S.
Pinal County teenagers were recruited to meet the workers and drive the drugs to stash houses, Babeu said. Those involved in the operation are a mixture of U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants from Mexico, authorities said.
"This happened because of good police work and cooperation," Babeu said of the takedown. "We were able to cripple a very elaborate network, and this is only scratching the surface. It is becoming increasingly violent."
The ring had been in business for three years and distributed and sold an estimated 60,000 pounds of marijuana a year for various Mexican drug cartels throughout Pinal County, the East Valley and nationally, according to Babeu and Goddard. The revenue generated millions of dollars returning to Mexico and helped to fund violence between drug cartels.
In addition to the current charges, several lead defendants also face charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery relating to their alleged scheme to impersonate law enforcement officers so they could rob and possibly murder competing drug traffickers in the southern Arizona desert, according to authorities. The phony law enforcement vehicle the ring had in its arsenal had been altered to look like a police car and contained a hat with "FBI" written on the front.
Among others arrested in connection with the operation: Johnny Calvin, 43; David Chavez, 21; Judy Monarraz-Pena, 28; Fernando Orona-Magallanez, 27; and John Rodriguez, 38.
Elizabeth Kempshall, special agent in charge for the Drug Enforcement Agency, said that the takedown was a major victory against drugs being brought into the U.S.
"This isn't like it was 20 years ago," Kempshall said. "By cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and through the sharing of intelligence and techniques, we're able to take out these organizations and show them they can't hide."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a01.html
Newshawk: Kirk
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009
Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ)
Copyright: 2009 East Valley Tribune.
Contact: forum@aztrib.com
Website: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2708
Author: Mike Sakal, Tribune
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Sunday, November 01, 2009
LEGAL GROW-OPS POSE A RISK TO CITY RESPONDERS
It doesn't seem to matter whether pot is being cultivated illegally or with a permit, both types of grow-ops suffer from shoddy electrical work and sub-standard construction codes that can put firefighters and emergency responders at risk.
The problem, according to Dept. Fire Chief Mike Helmer of Abbotsford Fire and Rescue, is that because of privacy laws, and a lack of communication between municipalities and the federal government - who issues and regulates the legal marijuana-growing permits - police, fire and rescue and ERT services don't know where the legal grow-ops are located.
"By law [growers] don't have to tell us, which is a problem. Because if they are legal, why not tell us then we're well aware of them?
"Then we can assure that they are safe, because we have gone into a number of them and they aren't safe."
As it stands now, neither the city nor the fire department has any idea if a permit has been taken out, and Helmer said it is concerning because of the extra load a grow-op puts on the electrical system. "This is the conundrum, they're legal . . . but they're not that safe."
Helmer said there needs to be a change in the confidentiality laws to allow the city and emergency services to be aware of the location of these legal operations.
"Absolutely, [we need change], then the appropriate agencies can be alerted.
"Just like you're going to open a day care, we make sure it's safe, that the proper precautions are taken and the same thing goes for this."
Abbotsford Mayor George Peary agrees with Helmer's assessment and would like to see a better understanding on the matter between Ottawa and the city.
"If someone has a licence to grow marijuana legally, then the city should be aware of that and make sure that the operation is properly wired and plumbed."
Peary said he is aware of privacy rights, but it would be a small courtesy for the feds to let municipalities have a heads-up on legal grow-ops.
"Have they set it up so it is operating without being a fire hazard?
"We don't want to place our citizens, firefighters or others at risk if they have to respond."
Abbotsford Conservative MP Ed Fast said that wherever possible he would like to see better information-sharing happen, but that the government does have to be cognizant of any privacy concerns Canadians have.
"We're not going to violate any laws . . . but there are probably ways around that.
"For example there is nothing preventing applicants for medicinal marijuana licences to volunteer that information."
Fast said safety is always an issue, but didn't think that providing a subsidy for those not reporting their legal grows not because of privacy issues, but because they couldn't afford the necessary electrical/construction upgrades, would be supported.
"I'd be surprised if government would subsidize that kind of construction upgrade."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a05.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Tue, 27 Oct 2009
Source: Abbotsford Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Abbotsford Times
Contact: editorial@abbotsfordtimes.com
Website: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1009
Author: Rafe Arnott
The problem, according to Dept. Fire Chief Mike Helmer of Abbotsford Fire and Rescue, is that because of privacy laws, and a lack of communication between municipalities and the federal government - who issues and regulates the legal marijuana-growing permits - police, fire and rescue and ERT services don't know where the legal grow-ops are located.
"By law [growers] don't have to tell us, which is a problem. Because if they are legal, why not tell us then we're well aware of them?
"Then we can assure that they are safe, because we have gone into a number of them and they aren't safe."
As it stands now, neither the city nor the fire department has any idea if a permit has been taken out, and Helmer said it is concerning because of the extra load a grow-op puts on the electrical system. "This is the conundrum, they're legal . . . but they're not that safe."
Helmer said there needs to be a change in the confidentiality laws to allow the city and emergency services to be aware of the location of these legal operations.
"Absolutely, [we need change], then the appropriate agencies can be alerted.
"Just like you're going to open a day care, we make sure it's safe, that the proper precautions are taken and the same thing goes for this."
Abbotsford Mayor George Peary agrees with Helmer's assessment and would like to see a better understanding on the matter between Ottawa and the city.
"If someone has a licence to grow marijuana legally, then the city should be aware of that and make sure that the operation is properly wired and plumbed."
Peary said he is aware of privacy rights, but it would be a small courtesy for the feds to let municipalities have a heads-up on legal grow-ops.
"Have they set it up so it is operating without being a fire hazard?
"We don't want to place our citizens, firefighters or others at risk if they have to respond."
Abbotsford Conservative MP Ed Fast said that wherever possible he would like to see better information-sharing happen, but that the government does have to be cognizant of any privacy concerns Canadians have.
"We're not going to violate any laws . . . but there are probably ways around that.
"For example there is nothing preventing applicants for medicinal marijuana licences to volunteer that information."
Fast said safety is always an issue, but didn't think that providing a subsidy for those not reporting their legal grows not because of privacy issues, but because they couldn't afford the necessary electrical/construction upgrades, would be supported.
"I'd be surprised if government would subsidize that kind of construction upgrade."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a05.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Tue, 27 Oct 2009
Source: Abbotsford Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Abbotsford Times
Contact: editorial@abbotsfordtimes.com
Website: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1009
Author: Rafe Arnott
Saturday, October 31, 2009
HOMEOWNER MAY FACE GROW-OP BILL
Police Find 400 Pot Plants In Vacant British Properties Home
A West Vancouver family may be on the hook for thousands of dollars in emergency services and repair bills after police found a large grow operation inside their home.
A member of the family called West Vancouver police Sunday evening when he arrived at the Glenross Road property -- which the family believed to be vacant -- to find the locks changed and condensation accumulating on the inside of the windows. When officers arrived at the British Properties home, they forced their way in to find more than 400 marijuana plants growing in three rooms.
Investigators dismantled the operation and carted away the drug along with various pieces of related equipment.
Grow ops, which generally require humid conditions and a variety of toxic chemicals, can be extremely destructive to the buildings in which they are situated. West Vancouver Fire and Rescue and bylaw inspectors will be examining the premises to determine the extent of the damage in this case. Whatever the result, the property owner will be landed with the repair bill -- in addition, possibly, to a tab for the emergency and municipal staff used to shut the operation down and remove the components.
Under a 2005 bylaw, the owner of any West Vancouver rental property is responsible for inspecting the premises every three months to ensure no grow op has been established. If the owner finds one, they have to report it within 24 hours.
In the event the owner doesn't follow these rules, and the authorities discover an operation on the premises, the municipality will charge the owner for all the costs it incurs as a result. That includes all the hours logged by police, fire and bylaw services. All told, the tab can run anywhere from $3,800 to $32,000, according to district staff.
"The costs get pretty high, pretty quickly," said Liz Holitzki, West Vancouver's manager of permits, inspections and bylaws.
The fees are waived if the owner has been inspecting the premises regularly and duly reported an infraction, she said. The municipality has not yet determined whether this was the case for the Glenross Road property, however.
According to police, the owner had last examined the vacant rental home two months before the discovery of the operation, which would appear to fall within the bylaw's requirements.
Regardless of the family's diligence, however, they will very likely be facing a whopping bill to bring the home back up to a livable standard. Under the West Vancouver bylaw, the owner is responsible for removing any fire hazards, replacing all carpets and curtains, having the furnace and air ducts professionally cleaned, and disinfecting -- or replacing, if necessary -- all the home's floors, walls and ceilings.
If fertilizer or other toxic chemicals have been poured down the drain, as is not uncommon, a portion of the plumbing will have to be replaced. In the event the regular hydro hookup has been bypassed -- another common practice -- the owner will have to pay for rewiring.
It is unlikely the cost will be covered by insurance. "I do not know of one insurance policy that has ever covered a grow op," Holitzki. "This is very, very serious for homeowners."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a07.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009
Source: North Shore News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 North Shore News
Contact: editor@nsnews.com
Website: http://www.nsnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/311
Author: James Weldon
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
A West Vancouver family may be on the hook for thousands of dollars in emergency services and repair bills after police found a large grow operation inside their home.
A member of the family called West Vancouver police Sunday evening when he arrived at the Glenross Road property -- which the family believed to be vacant -- to find the locks changed and condensation accumulating on the inside of the windows. When officers arrived at the British Properties home, they forced their way in to find more than 400 marijuana plants growing in three rooms.
Investigators dismantled the operation and carted away the drug along with various pieces of related equipment.
Grow ops, which generally require humid conditions and a variety of toxic chemicals, can be extremely destructive to the buildings in which they are situated. West Vancouver Fire and Rescue and bylaw inspectors will be examining the premises to determine the extent of the damage in this case. Whatever the result, the property owner will be landed with the repair bill -- in addition, possibly, to a tab for the emergency and municipal staff used to shut the operation down and remove the components.
Under a 2005 bylaw, the owner of any West Vancouver rental property is responsible for inspecting the premises every three months to ensure no grow op has been established. If the owner finds one, they have to report it within 24 hours.
In the event the owner doesn't follow these rules, and the authorities discover an operation on the premises, the municipality will charge the owner for all the costs it incurs as a result. That includes all the hours logged by police, fire and bylaw services. All told, the tab can run anywhere from $3,800 to $32,000, according to district staff.
"The costs get pretty high, pretty quickly," said Liz Holitzki, West Vancouver's manager of permits, inspections and bylaws.
The fees are waived if the owner has been inspecting the premises regularly and duly reported an infraction, she said. The municipality has not yet determined whether this was the case for the Glenross Road property, however.
According to police, the owner had last examined the vacant rental home two months before the discovery of the operation, which would appear to fall within the bylaw's requirements.
Regardless of the family's diligence, however, they will very likely be facing a whopping bill to bring the home back up to a livable standard. Under the West Vancouver bylaw, the owner is responsible for removing any fire hazards, replacing all carpets and curtains, having the furnace and air ducts professionally cleaned, and disinfecting -- or replacing, if necessary -- all the home's floors, walls and ceilings.
If fertilizer or other toxic chemicals have been poured down the drain, as is not uncommon, a portion of the plumbing will have to be replaced. In the event the regular hydro hookup has been bypassed -- another common practice -- the owner will have to pay for rewiring.
It is unlikely the cost will be covered by insurance. "I do not know of one insurance policy that has ever covered a grow op," Holitzki. "This is very, very serious for homeowners."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a07.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009
Source: North Shore News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 North Shore News
Contact: editor@nsnews.com
Website: http://www.nsnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/311
Author: James Weldon
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Friday, October 30, 2009
MEXICAN REFUGEES ESCAPING DRUG CARTELS
13 Of 34 Refugee Students Mexican
Mariana Ruiz took a seat in a small office at Britannia secondary during a break from studying Macbeth in English 11 Monday.
When the soft-spoken teen started to speak, it was a surprise to learn she's only been in Canada for "one year and two days"--her comprehension and grammar are quite good.
But the teenager is one of a growing number of Mexican refugees attending Vancouver schools after fleeing corruption and violence triggered by drug cartels.
This school year, 13 of the 34 refugee students registered at the Vancouver School Board's District Reception and Placement Centre came directly from Mexico. The other students are Afghans, Burundi, Indonesian, ethnic Jurai, or mountain people, and Hmong from Vietnam and one Cuban.
Ruiz, 17, lived in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes before escaping with her parents and three siblings.
A visit from a well-dressed man with an expensive car to a small grocery store run by Ruiz's mother Maricela Medina sealed the middle class family's fate. It was obvious the man didn't fit in, so Medina told her police officer husband, Enrique Ruiz, a commander in an anti-assault special unit.
He showed police photos to his wife, who quickly identified the stranger--a man involved in narcotics trafficking, kidnapping and organizing delinquents.
Ruiz's parents viewed the visit as a threat and her father knew his family was in danger--murders and kidnappings ordered by drug cartels are becoming increasingly common in some areas of the country.
Even police departments are rife with corruption. Officers have been murdered.
"It used to be safe," explained Mariana Ruiz. "But two years ago, it became too dangerous."
Within a month of the man's visit, the family had sold their car, the grocery store and their furniture. The children stopped going to school.
Ruiz's father barely slept, awaking at 6 a.m. to patrol the house for intruders who might kill him.
They spent a week with family in Coahuila before taking a flight from Monterrey to Vancouver where they claimed refugee status.
For Ruiz, it was an end to her "almost perfect" life in Mexico where she had friends and a boyfriend and was doing well in school.
The family was questioned for hours over two days by authorities at the airport. Initially, they stayed at a hostel before moving to Kinbrace House, which provides transitional housing for refugee claimants.
After six months they moved to a one-bedroom East Side apartment before settling in a three-bedroom apartment in Coquitlam. Both parents work--her mother cleaning newly built condominiums and her father in a garage cleaning and washing vehicles once they're fixed.
"They're happy because we're safe now. They used to feel sad and stressed out because of [lack of] money and they miss their family," Ruiz said. "But they know Canada is a good place to live and there's lots of opportunities for jobs."
Ruiz has adapted well, learning English quickly and excelling in school. She was in ESL classes for only four months, bolstered by after school ESL courses, before transferring to regular classes.
"I thought it was so hard and I would never learn English," she recalled. I feel unconfident. Some words won't come."
She's enrolled in Britannia's international baccalaureate program, earns As and Bs, and dreams of enrolling in university to become a pediatrician.
In many ways she's a typical teen--she enjoys music, dancing and reading, spends hours doing homework and is obsessed with the Twilight saga.
But unlike other teens, Ruiz's family remains in limbo, awaiting a refugee hearing to determine if they can stay in Canada. There's no guarantee, but Ruiz feels their case is strong.
"Now I'm so happy. Now I have a new boyfriend. My marks are pretty good. I feel confident," she said. "I'm also happy because my family's safe and we're getting better."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a08.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Vancouver Courier
Contact: editor@vancourier.com
Website: http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Naoibh O'Connor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Mariana Ruiz took a seat in a small office at Britannia secondary during a break from studying Macbeth in English 11 Monday.
When the soft-spoken teen started to speak, it was a surprise to learn she's only been in Canada for "one year and two days"--her comprehension and grammar are quite good.
But the teenager is one of a growing number of Mexican refugees attending Vancouver schools after fleeing corruption and violence triggered by drug cartels.
This school year, 13 of the 34 refugee students registered at the Vancouver School Board's District Reception and Placement Centre came directly from Mexico. The other students are Afghans, Burundi, Indonesian, ethnic Jurai, or mountain people, and Hmong from Vietnam and one Cuban.
Ruiz, 17, lived in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes before escaping with her parents and three siblings.
A visit from a well-dressed man with an expensive car to a small grocery store run by Ruiz's mother Maricela Medina sealed the middle class family's fate. It was obvious the man didn't fit in, so Medina told her police officer husband, Enrique Ruiz, a commander in an anti-assault special unit.
He showed police photos to his wife, who quickly identified the stranger--a man involved in narcotics trafficking, kidnapping and organizing delinquents.
Ruiz's parents viewed the visit as a threat and her father knew his family was in danger--murders and kidnappings ordered by drug cartels are becoming increasingly common in some areas of the country.
Even police departments are rife with corruption. Officers have been murdered.
"It used to be safe," explained Mariana Ruiz. "But two years ago, it became too dangerous."
Within a month of the man's visit, the family had sold their car, the grocery store and their furniture. The children stopped going to school.
Ruiz's father barely slept, awaking at 6 a.m. to patrol the house for intruders who might kill him.
They spent a week with family in Coahuila before taking a flight from Monterrey to Vancouver where they claimed refugee status.
For Ruiz, it was an end to her "almost perfect" life in Mexico where she had friends and a boyfriend and was doing well in school.
The family was questioned for hours over two days by authorities at the airport. Initially, they stayed at a hostel before moving to Kinbrace House, which provides transitional housing for refugee claimants.
After six months they moved to a one-bedroom East Side apartment before settling in a three-bedroom apartment in Coquitlam. Both parents work--her mother cleaning newly built condominiums and her father in a garage cleaning and washing vehicles once they're fixed.
"They're happy because we're safe now. They used to feel sad and stressed out because of [lack of] money and they miss their family," Ruiz said. "But they know Canada is a good place to live and there's lots of opportunities for jobs."
Ruiz has adapted well, learning English quickly and excelling in school. She was in ESL classes for only four months, bolstered by after school ESL courses, before transferring to regular classes.
"I thought it was so hard and I would never learn English," she recalled. I feel unconfident. Some words won't come."
She's enrolled in Britannia's international baccalaureate program, earns As and Bs, and dreams of enrolling in university to become a pediatrician.
In many ways she's a typical teen--she enjoys music, dancing and reading, spends hours doing homework and is obsessed with the Twilight saga.
But unlike other teens, Ruiz's family remains in limbo, awaiting a refugee hearing to determine if they can stay in Canada. There's no guarantee, but Ruiz feels their case is strong.
"Now I'm so happy. Now I have a new boyfriend. My marks are pretty good. I feel confident," she said. "I'm also happy because my family's safe and we're getting better."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a08.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Vancouver Courier
Contact: editor@vancourier.com
Website: http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Naoibh O'Connor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
DRUG TRAFFICKER RECEIVES 20-YEAR SENTENCE
A member of a large drug trafficking and money laundering operation was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Friday.
Hector Omero Rodriguez, 35, of Allen, pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute, one count of distribution of cocaine, and one count of conspiracy to conduct money laundering.
According to Kathy Colvin, U.S. District Attorney's office spokeswoman, Rodriguez was one of 22 members of the illegal operation that led the Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct an investigation named "Project Reckoning." In the operation, which included both "Operation Dos Equis" - an investigation into a Mexican cocaine distribution organization - and "Operation Vertigo" - an investigation of a methamphetamine distribution organization - more than $1 million in cash, about 300 kilograms of cocaine, about 400 pounds of methamphetamines and about 20 weapons were seized.
"Rodriguez and 20 co-defendants were indicted on charges related to the operation, which was linked to the Mexican cartel, but operating in North Texas," Colvin said. "A total of 13 defendants pled guilty and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 51 to 262 months. Three defendants pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing, and four remain fugitives."
Uriel Palacios, 23, of Dallas, who worked with Rodriguez, pleaded guilty to the same charges and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 30.
During the course of the investigation, DEA agents intercepted numerous telephone conversations involving various members of the organization, including communication between Rodriguez and Palacios discussing the distribution of large quantities of cocaine.
Colvin said one call intercepted in July 2008 revealed Rodriguez asked Palacios to deliver 50 kilograms of cocaine to another defendant at a hotel. Agents also learned Rodriquez arranged to have cash earned from the profits of cocaine to be secreted in tractor-trailers and shipped to Mexico so more cocaine could be sent to the U.S. Agents also learned a courier was delivering drug proceeds to Mexico. In May 2008, agents detained the courier in Austin. The suitcase he was carrying contained nearly $1.3 million.
This operation was a joint effort between the DEA; Dallas County District Attorney's Office; IRS-Criminal Investigation; FBI; North Texas HIDTA; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Farmers Branch, Coppell, Richardson and Waxahachie police departments and the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a11.html
Newshawk: Help keep us running! http://drugsense.org/donate
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009
Source: Allen American, The (TX)
Copyright: The Allen American 2009
Contact: heidj@dfwcn.com
Website: http://www.allenamerican.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3009
Author: Stephanie Flemmons
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Hector Omero Rodriguez, 35, of Allen, pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute, one count of distribution of cocaine, and one count of conspiracy to conduct money laundering.
According to Kathy Colvin, U.S. District Attorney's office spokeswoman, Rodriguez was one of 22 members of the illegal operation that led the Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct an investigation named "Project Reckoning." In the operation, which included both "Operation Dos Equis" - an investigation into a Mexican cocaine distribution organization - and "Operation Vertigo" - an investigation of a methamphetamine distribution organization - more than $1 million in cash, about 300 kilograms of cocaine, about 400 pounds of methamphetamines and about 20 weapons were seized.
"Rodriguez and 20 co-defendants were indicted on charges related to the operation, which was linked to the Mexican cartel, but operating in North Texas," Colvin said. "A total of 13 defendants pled guilty and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 51 to 262 months. Three defendants pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing, and four remain fugitives."
Uriel Palacios, 23, of Dallas, who worked with Rodriguez, pleaded guilty to the same charges and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 30.
During the course of the investigation, DEA agents intercepted numerous telephone conversations involving various members of the organization, including communication between Rodriguez and Palacios discussing the distribution of large quantities of cocaine.
Colvin said one call intercepted in July 2008 revealed Rodriguez asked Palacios to deliver 50 kilograms of cocaine to another defendant at a hotel. Agents also learned Rodriquez arranged to have cash earned from the profits of cocaine to be secreted in tractor-trailers and shipped to Mexico so more cocaine could be sent to the U.S. Agents also learned a courier was delivering drug proceeds to Mexico. In May 2008, agents detained the courier in Austin. The suitcase he was carrying contained nearly $1.3 million.
This operation was a joint effort between the DEA; Dallas County District Attorney's Office; IRS-Criminal Investigation; FBI; North Texas HIDTA; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Farmers Branch, Coppell, Richardson and Waxahachie police departments and the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n975/a11.html
Newshawk: Help keep us running! http://drugsense.org/donate
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009
Source: Allen American, The (TX)
Copyright: The Allen American 2009
Contact: heidj@dfwcn.com
Website: http://www.allenamerican.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3009
Author: Stephanie Flemmons
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
CANNABIS CONFUSION IS LABOUR'S FAULT, NOT PROFESSOR NUTT'S
Classification of Drugs Bears No Relation to the Damage They Cause, Says Philip Johnston.
The Government's drugs policy is a mess. Who says so? No less an authority than Professor David Nutt, the Government's chief adviser on drugs, who has been sacked for his temerity. His dismissal has been followed by the resignations of another member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs ( ACMD ), which he chaired. Prof Nutt's offence was to say that cannabis causes less harm than alcohol and tobacco not just to the health of the individual consumer but also in a wider sense, especially the violence associated with binge drinking. Since this is a fact, attempts to traduce him as the nutty professor are absurd.
He did not say cannabis is harmless; certainly today's stronger varieties are associated with psychotic behaviour. Nor did Prof Nutt suggest cannabis should be legalised. His point was that if you are going to have a classification system based on relative harms, then it is a bit odd to put cannabis on a par with more dangerous substances. Those who dispute this do so because they do not like the louche lifestyles of recreational drug users; but disapproval does not change the facts.
Prof Nutt's mistake was to imagine that this was a scientific issue when it is a political one. Government ministers believe that the public will not accept anything that looks like they are being soft on a particular drug, especially the most widely used variety. This is simply not true. A YouGov poll, one of the largest surveys conducted in this country on drugs policy and carried out for the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce ( RSA ) drugs commission, on which I sat, showed that most people would be happy to see the personal use of cannabis decriminalised or penalties for its possession lowered to the status of a parking fine.
However, since this is not going to happen any time soon, you have to ask why the Government moved cannabis from B to C in the first place. This story is an object lesson in how to mess things up and finish in a worse position than where you began.
The classification system was laid down in the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act to provide a matrix of potential and relative harms linked to a penalty scale. That is where the law stood until October 2001, when David Blunkett, then Home Secretary, announced that he wanted to move cannabis from B to C. Since the law then specified that possession of a Class C substance was a non-arrestable offence, this meant the police would be free to deal with "harder" drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine, which caused most of the crime problems.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs agreed with Mr Blunkett and cannabis was duly downgraded in 2004.
In the first year, there was no increase in use of cannabis, and arrests for possession fell by one third, saving an estimated 199,000 police hours. It did not take long, however, for the aims of the policy to be lost in a fug of confusion. Shortly before the general election in 2005, a new Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, asked the advisory council to carry out another review a cynical device to get Labour through the election campaign. The council, unsurprisingly, reached the same conclusion as it had the year before and, safely back in office, Clarke agreed to keep cannabis in Class C.
The classification system itself was then questioned by the Commons Science Select Committee. It produced a table of harms, placing alcohol fifth on the list, ahead of some class A drugs, while tobacco was ninth. Cannabis was 11th. Interestingly enough, when people were asked by YouGov to do their own non-scientific drugs classification, they also put alcohol and tobacco ahead of cannabis.
Then Gordon Brown became Prime Minister and decided he wanted a drugs policy showing he possessed a "moral compass". So the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs was sent off to think again, a disgraceful use of an independent advisory body. Once more, it recommended cannabis should be Class C, but was overruled by Mr Brown, who had made up his mind to return it to Class B, whatever the scientific evidence.
There is an argument, and one that is not confined to far-out libertarians, that if cannabis, heroin and cocaine were legally available they could be controlled much more effectively and their supply which has expanded despite massively expensive efforts to shut it down removed from the hands of criminals. But that is not going to happen. Any government that proposed it would be crucified. Furthermore, there are international obligations operating through the United Nations that Britain, as a signatory, must uphold. These require certain drugs to be illegal and in this country are enshrined in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
In that case, it behoves governments to implement laws in as effective and coherent a way as possible, which means sending out clear messages and deploying punishments and penalties consistently. Yet in recent years, where cannabis is concerned, the message has been anything but clear. Indeed, ministers have made such a pig's ear of the law that you have to wonder whether they were smoking the stuff themselves.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n995/a09.html
Newshawk: Science Clashes With Politics www.mapinc.org/alert/0418.html
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 2 Nov 2009
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2009 Telegraph Group Limited
Contact: dtletters@telegraph.co.uk
Website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114
Author: Philip Johnston
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/David+Nutt
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)
The Government's drugs policy is a mess. Who says so? No less an authority than Professor David Nutt, the Government's chief adviser on drugs, who has been sacked for his temerity. His dismissal has been followed by the resignations of another member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs ( ACMD ), which he chaired. Prof Nutt's offence was to say that cannabis causes less harm than alcohol and tobacco not just to the health of the individual consumer but also in a wider sense, especially the violence associated with binge drinking. Since this is a fact, attempts to traduce him as the nutty professor are absurd.
He did not say cannabis is harmless; certainly today's stronger varieties are associated with psychotic behaviour. Nor did Prof Nutt suggest cannabis should be legalised. His point was that if you are going to have a classification system based on relative harms, then it is a bit odd to put cannabis on a par with more dangerous substances. Those who dispute this do so because they do not like the louche lifestyles of recreational drug users; but disapproval does not change the facts.
Prof Nutt's mistake was to imagine that this was a scientific issue when it is a political one. Government ministers believe that the public will not accept anything that looks like they are being soft on a particular drug, especially the most widely used variety. This is simply not true. A YouGov poll, one of the largest surveys conducted in this country on drugs policy and carried out for the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce ( RSA ) drugs commission, on which I sat, showed that most people would be happy to see the personal use of cannabis decriminalised or penalties for its possession lowered to the status of a parking fine.
However, since this is not going to happen any time soon, you have to ask why the Government moved cannabis from B to C in the first place. This story is an object lesson in how to mess things up and finish in a worse position than where you began.
The classification system was laid down in the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act to provide a matrix of potential and relative harms linked to a penalty scale. That is where the law stood until October 2001, when David Blunkett, then Home Secretary, announced that he wanted to move cannabis from B to C. Since the law then specified that possession of a Class C substance was a non-arrestable offence, this meant the police would be free to deal with "harder" drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine, which caused most of the crime problems.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs agreed with Mr Blunkett and cannabis was duly downgraded in 2004.
In the first year, there was no increase in use of cannabis, and arrests for possession fell by one third, saving an estimated 199,000 police hours. It did not take long, however, for the aims of the policy to be lost in a fug of confusion. Shortly before the general election in 2005, a new Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, asked the advisory council to carry out another review a cynical device to get Labour through the election campaign. The council, unsurprisingly, reached the same conclusion as it had the year before and, safely back in office, Clarke agreed to keep cannabis in Class C.
The classification system itself was then questioned by the Commons Science Select Committee. It produced a table of harms, placing alcohol fifth on the list, ahead of some class A drugs, while tobacco was ninth. Cannabis was 11th. Interestingly enough, when people were asked by YouGov to do their own non-scientific drugs classification, they also put alcohol and tobacco ahead of cannabis.
Then Gordon Brown became Prime Minister and decided he wanted a drugs policy showing he possessed a "moral compass". So the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs was sent off to think again, a disgraceful use of an independent advisory body. Once more, it recommended cannabis should be Class C, but was overruled by Mr Brown, who had made up his mind to return it to Class B, whatever the scientific evidence.
There is an argument, and one that is not confined to far-out libertarians, that if cannabis, heroin and cocaine were legally available they could be controlled much more effectively and their supply which has expanded despite massively expensive efforts to shut it down removed from the hands of criminals. But that is not going to happen. Any government that proposed it would be crucified. Furthermore, there are international obligations operating through the United Nations that Britain, as a signatory, must uphold. These require certain drugs to be illegal and in this country are enshrined in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
In that case, it behoves governments to implement laws in as effective and coherent a way as possible, which means sending out clear messages and deploying punishments and penalties consistently. Yet in recent years, where cannabis is concerned, the message has been anything but clear. Indeed, ministers have made such a pig's ear of the law that you have to wonder whether they were smoking the stuff themselves.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n995/a09.html
Newshawk: Science Clashes With Politics www.mapinc.org/alert/0418.html
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 2 Nov 2009
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2009 Telegraph Group Limited
Contact: dtletters@telegraph.co.uk
Website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114
Author: Philip Johnston
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/David+Nutt
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
CRIME BILLS PROVOKE UNLIKELY CO-OPERATION
OTTAWA - An unlikely alliance of Crown and defence lawyers has shaped up in the confines of Canada's Senate.
The two sides have shed their robes as courtroom foes to share witness space at the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee and point out what they say will be the downsides of the government's proposed crime laws, including bill C-15 that will set mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes.
"Bill C-15 will significantly increase the trial rates with respect to these particular charges, reduce the guilty pleas, and equate into higher workload, which must be supported by the resources," says Jamie Chaffe, president of the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel.
"If it is not supported by the resources, then these prosecutions will come at the expense of other prosecutions of other criminal offences. When we're talking about adding criminal justice resources, we're talking about the infrastructure, which includes Crowns, legal aid funding, probation, parole, and corrections, as well as the judiciary."
Besides concerns over the drug law, lawyers have also been expressing their views on Bill C-25, which amends the Criminal Code to limit credit for time spent in custody before sentencing to one day for each day in remand, down from the Supreme Court of Canada benchmark of two days' credit for each day of pre-sentence custody.
Only in circumstances that "justify it" could a judge award more credit to a maximum of 11/2 days for each day in remand.
A string of witnesses lined up to question the new limits, citing deplorable and overcrowded conditions at most provincial remand centres as well as the unfair result the change could have on some inmates since pre-sentencing dead time is not credited for parole purposes.
Despite the criticism, all or most of the crime legislation the government is advancing will likely pass through the Senate. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has been under relentless pressure from Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, both of whom regularly accuse him and his party of being "soft on crime."
To blunt the attack, Ignatieff last week ordered his Senate leadership to ensure enough Liberal senators were absent for a vote on the C-25 amendments to allow the Tories to defeat them, a Liberal source says. The Liberal changes would have set credit for pre-sentence custody at 11/2 days for each day served with a maximum of two days under justifying circumstances.
But they went down to defeat in a little-noticed vote last Tuesday, and the Liberals allowed the bill to pass through to royal assent by Thursday. The vote was a sign that all of the Harper government's 12 other bills on a range of justice issues - including an end to conditional sentencing for property and serious crimes - will eventually become law.
Under bill C-15, for example, the courts would impose mandatory minimum sentences for a range of drug possession, production, and trafficking offences. The changes include a mandatory minimum sentence of six months if an individual is convicted of growing more than five and less than 201 marijuana plants for the purpose of trafficking.
The minimum would be set at nine months for the same amount of marijuana if any of a series of health and safety threats is associated with the production, including a potential hazard to anyone under 18 where the drug was being grown or a public safety hazard in a residential area.
If the number of plants is more than 200 but less than 501, the mandatory minimum would be one year in prison. That increases to a minimum of 18 months if health and safety risks are associated with the production.
If the production is more than 500 plants, the mandatory minimum increases to two years or three years if any of the health and safety risks are present at the production site.
The Canadian Association of Crown Counsel told the Senate committee both the drug and dead-time bills would inevitably lead to pressure on the courts and overcrowded prisons.
Although it was acknowledged the new C-25 limit on credit for time served will likely prompt a rise in the number of early guilty pleas and thereby reduce the number of prisoners in remand, it was also argued that courts will be under severe strain to schedule earlier appearances and processing for accused who plead guilty.
At the same time, the mandatory minimums for drug offences will also place a burden on the courts as accused will be unable to reduce sentences through plea bargaining.
Chaffe, who testified at the Senate committee on both bills on behalf of the Crown counsel association, explains he wasn't taking a position for or against them.
"We're not opposing anything," he says. "All we're talking about is what will practically happen on the ground if they are brought in."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n967/a04.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 26 Oct 2009
Source: Law Times (CN ON)
Copyright: CLB Media 2009
Contact: lawtimes@clbmedia.ca
Website: http://www.lawtimesnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3095
Author: Tim Naumetz
The two sides have shed their robes as courtroom foes to share witness space at the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee and point out what they say will be the downsides of the government's proposed crime laws, including bill C-15 that will set mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes.
"Bill C-15 will significantly increase the trial rates with respect to these particular charges, reduce the guilty pleas, and equate into higher workload, which must be supported by the resources," says Jamie Chaffe, president of the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel.
"If it is not supported by the resources, then these prosecutions will come at the expense of other prosecutions of other criminal offences. When we're talking about adding criminal justice resources, we're talking about the infrastructure, which includes Crowns, legal aid funding, probation, parole, and corrections, as well as the judiciary."
Besides concerns over the drug law, lawyers have also been expressing their views on Bill C-25, which amends the Criminal Code to limit credit for time spent in custody before sentencing to one day for each day in remand, down from the Supreme Court of Canada benchmark of two days' credit for each day of pre-sentence custody.
Only in circumstances that "justify it" could a judge award more credit to a maximum of 11/2 days for each day in remand.
A string of witnesses lined up to question the new limits, citing deplorable and overcrowded conditions at most provincial remand centres as well as the unfair result the change could have on some inmates since pre-sentencing dead time is not credited for parole purposes.
Despite the criticism, all or most of the crime legislation the government is advancing will likely pass through the Senate. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has been under relentless pressure from Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, both of whom regularly accuse him and his party of being "soft on crime."
To blunt the attack, Ignatieff last week ordered his Senate leadership to ensure enough Liberal senators were absent for a vote on the C-25 amendments to allow the Tories to defeat them, a Liberal source says. The Liberal changes would have set credit for pre-sentence custody at 11/2 days for each day served with a maximum of two days under justifying circumstances.
But they went down to defeat in a little-noticed vote last Tuesday, and the Liberals allowed the bill to pass through to royal assent by Thursday. The vote was a sign that all of the Harper government's 12 other bills on a range of justice issues - including an end to conditional sentencing for property and serious crimes - will eventually become law.
Under bill C-15, for example, the courts would impose mandatory minimum sentences for a range of drug possession, production, and trafficking offences. The changes include a mandatory minimum sentence of six months if an individual is convicted of growing more than five and less than 201 marijuana plants for the purpose of trafficking.
The minimum would be set at nine months for the same amount of marijuana if any of a series of health and safety threats is associated with the production, including a potential hazard to anyone under 18 where the drug was being grown or a public safety hazard in a residential area.
If the number of plants is more than 200 but less than 501, the mandatory minimum would be one year in prison. That increases to a minimum of 18 months if health and safety risks are associated with the production.
If the production is more than 500 plants, the mandatory minimum increases to two years or three years if any of the health and safety risks are present at the production site.
The Canadian Association of Crown Counsel told the Senate committee both the drug and dead-time bills would inevitably lead to pressure on the courts and overcrowded prisons.
Although it was acknowledged the new C-25 limit on credit for time served will likely prompt a rise in the number of early guilty pleas and thereby reduce the number of prisoners in remand, it was also argued that courts will be under severe strain to schedule earlier appearances and processing for accused who plead guilty.
At the same time, the mandatory minimums for drug offences will also place a burden on the courts as accused will be unable to reduce sentences through plea bargaining.
Chaffe, who testified at the Senate committee on both bills on behalf of the Crown counsel association, explains he wasn't taking a position for or against them.
"We're not opposing anything," he says. "All we're talking about is what will practically happen on the ground if they are brought in."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n967/a04.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 26 Oct 2009
Source: Law Times (CN ON)
Copyright: CLB Media 2009
Contact: lawtimes@clbmedia.ca
Website: http://www.lawtimesnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3095
Author: Tim Naumetz
Monday, October 26, 2009
GEORGIA'S PROBLEM WITH METH
Georgia's Problem With Meth A Closer Look At The 'Monster' Drug
LAWRENCEVILLE - A Buford man will sit in prison for the next two years after allowing his 17-month old daughter to swallow a batch of his methamphetamine.
In Lawrenceville, a disabled woman returned home from an extended hospital stay to find her utilities disconnected, an eviction notice on her door. The daughter she left in charge of paying her bills instead spent about $10,000 on drugs.
When it comes to methamphetamine - also known as meth, crank, speed or ice, depending on its form - and its impact on lives, those stories barely scratch the surface.
Meth is a highly addictive, man-made drug that has slowly made its way east from the deserts of California to the plains of the Midwest, blazing a trail of destruction right into the neighborhoods of north Georgia.
Requiring household items and over-the-counter drugs, it's relatively inexpensive and easy to make, making it popular among teenagers and young adults looking for a cheap rush. According to the Department of Health, Georgia is third in the nation in total number of meth users between 12 and 17 years old.
Meth affects the central nervous system and the brain - and ultimately behavior - raising dopamine ( the brain chemical that allows us to feel pleasure ) levels to heights food, sex and even cocaine fall woefully short of. It can be injected, snorted, inhaled or swallowed.
Most of the meth in the United States is manufactured in Mexican "superlabs," smuggled in and stored here in stash houses or distribution points. It is also cooked locally, however, in houses, barns, shacks, hotel rooms and car trunks serving as makeshift labs. Many of these operators, police say, are addicts looking to feed their own habits rather than widely distribute the drug.
These labs - suitcase operations, some cops call them - are not without risk, however, creating their own environmental hazards. For every pound of meth cooked, 5 to 6 pounds of toxic waste is left behind, often haphazardly dumped into nature. Because of the chemicals and methodology involved, the labs are volatile.
Structures used to cook the drug are often left uninhabitable, but law enforcement is left with the labor intensive and expensive cleanup.
"The dismantling, cleanup and disposal of labs is extremely resource-intensive and beyond the financial capabilities of most jurisdictions," said Gwinnett police spokesman Officer Brian Kelly, who was once part of an Iowa drug task force. "The average cost of a cleanup is about $5,000 but some cost up to $100,000 or more."
A relatively new method of cooking meth, apparently all the rage for small-timers, is called the "shake and bake" or "one pot" method. This method - requiring a bottle, some household chemicals and cold pills - allows for the cooking of smaller amounts of meth without the hassle of open flames and powerful odors that might summon law enforcement.
While easier, this method isn't necessarily safer, since the cook would actually be holding the "bomb" when it exploded.
Despite recent surges, statistics suggest meth may not be as prevalent in Georgia as other drugs. In 2008, federal authorities seized 65 kilograms of methamphetamine. During that same year, more than 15 times that amount of cocaine was confiscated.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said he believes the problem may be greater in northern, more rural counties.
Two of the biggest busts in U.S. history, though, happened right here.
A raid conducted at a Lawrenceville home Wednesday netted 174 pounds of crystal meth, firearms and thousands of dollars in dirty money. Thirty-one suspects, members of a Mexican drug cartel, were arrested. Right under the nose of its neighbors, the house served as a conversion lab for Mexican meth.
In May, federal authorities raided two Duluth homes being used as stash houses, seizing more than 350 pounds of Mexican crystal meth with an estimated street value of $7.7 million.
"From the perspective of a drug smuggler ... Gwinnett County offers access to major thoroughfares for moving their product around the Southeast and access to transportation corridors facilitating transportation of illegal drugs throughout the country," Kelly said.
Gwinnett County Sheriff's spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais said the county jail's medical staff doesn't keep statistics of prisoners' specific drug preference. But according to the inmates being processed, meth is their drug of choice.
"In the last 10 years, the medical staff here has seen the move from crack cocaine being the top reported drug to meth being at the top of the list," Bourbonnais said.
After an intense initial rush and period of euphoria, users may become hyperactive and be unable to sleep. That's when they often resort to different drugs to stabilize themselves.
"For instance, those taking meth are also taking benzodiazepines like Xanax or a sedating antipsychotic like Seroquel to help them come down," Bourbonnais said.
While these additional drugs lead to additional issues, meth is the root of the dental problems ( also known as "meth mouth" ) and psychosis burdening jail medical personnel. It's the reason inmates seeking replacement drugs try to "manipulate the system" during their incarceration and why officials see increased cases of HIV and Hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases.
In 2007, Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner James Donald said the prison system, operating at 105 percent capacity, had taken in nearly 3,000 meth-related criminals in a year.
Gwinnett Medical Center officials reported treating injuries suffered while under the influence of meth, and one case of a man convinced that he could fly.
So meth causes rotten teeth, violent behavior and brain damage. It is responsible for fatal explosions and prison sentences - what's the appeal?
Priscilla Woolwine, director of Gwinnett County's drug treatment court, said she's been told there's not a drug on the market - or black market, as it may be - that makes a person as high as meth.
"It's the nonstop energy they receive," she said. "When they first start doing meth, they have the ability to do anything; They have all this energy and can clean for hours, stay awake and get things done."
The fact that it is cheaper and can be made at home, she said, is also attractive to the prospective user.
Ironically, because meth can turn off the brain's ability to produce dopamine, users can be left with an inability to receive pleasure from anything except more and more meth.
A futile attempt, as Woolwine said that initial high can never be duplicated.
Jim Langford, a native north Georgian, is the executive director of the Georgia Meth Project, a privately funded meth prevention campaign modeled after the Montana Meth Project.
Citing staggering crime and drug use statistics in some Georgia counties, and Montana's success in reducing these incidents, Langford said it is imperative to address the "emergency."
"This drug is a real monster. A flesh-eating, brain-frying, homicide-suicide inducing, child-poisoning monster," Langford said in a release. "And it costs us big money."
Studies conducted by the RAND Corporation suggest he is right. Between health care, incarceration, law enforcement, foster care and lost work productivity, meth use reportedly costs Georgia about $1.3 billion a year.
Attorney General Thurbert Baker agreed that something needs to be done.
"Methampetamine is crippling our state. We spend millions each year on meth-related incarcerations alone, and yet the number of addicts in Georgia continues to grow rapidly," he said. "If we do nothing, our criminal justice system will reach a breaking point. As a state, we must take a stand against this drug that is all too rapidly addicting our youth."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n965/a09.html
Newshawk: Jim
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 25 Oct 2009
Source: Gwinnett Daily Post, The (GA)
Copyright: 2009 Post-Citizen Media Inc.
Contact: letters@gwinnettdailypost.com
Website: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2480
Note: Letters can run as long as 400 words.
Author: Heather Hamacher, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
LAWRENCEVILLE - A Buford man will sit in prison for the next two years after allowing his 17-month old daughter to swallow a batch of his methamphetamine.
In Lawrenceville, a disabled woman returned home from an extended hospital stay to find her utilities disconnected, an eviction notice on her door. The daughter she left in charge of paying her bills instead spent about $10,000 on drugs.
When it comes to methamphetamine - also known as meth, crank, speed or ice, depending on its form - and its impact on lives, those stories barely scratch the surface.
Meth is a highly addictive, man-made drug that has slowly made its way east from the deserts of California to the plains of the Midwest, blazing a trail of destruction right into the neighborhoods of north Georgia.
Requiring household items and over-the-counter drugs, it's relatively inexpensive and easy to make, making it popular among teenagers and young adults looking for a cheap rush. According to the Department of Health, Georgia is third in the nation in total number of meth users between 12 and 17 years old.
Meth affects the central nervous system and the brain - and ultimately behavior - raising dopamine ( the brain chemical that allows us to feel pleasure ) levels to heights food, sex and even cocaine fall woefully short of. It can be injected, snorted, inhaled or swallowed.
Most of the meth in the United States is manufactured in Mexican "superlabs," smuggled in and stored here in stash houses or distribution points. It is also cooked locally, however, in houses, barns, shacks, hotel rooms and car trunks serving as makeshift labs. Many of these operators, police say, are addicts looking to feed their own habits rather than widely distribute the drug.
These labs - suitcase operations, some cops call them - are not without risk, however, creating their own environmental hazards. For every pound of meth cooked, 5 to 6 pounds of toxic waste is left behind, often haphazardly dumped into nature. Because of the chemicals and methodology involved, the labs are volatile.
Structures used to cook the drug are often left uninhabitable, but law enforcement is left with the labor intensive and expensive cleanup.
"The dismantling, cleanup and disposal of labs is extremely resource-intensive and beyond the financial capabilities of most jurisdictions," said Gwinnett police spokesman Officer Brian Kelly, who was once part of an Iowa drug task force. "The average cost of a cleanup is about $5,000 but some cost up to $100,000 or more."
A relatively new method of cooking meth, apparently all the rage for small-timers, is called the "shake and bake" or "one pot" method. This method - requiring a bottle, some household chemicals and cold pills - allows for the cooking of smaller amounts of meth without the hassle of open flames and powerful odors that might summon law enforcement.
While easier, this method isn't necessarily safer, since the cook would actually be holding the "bomb" when it exploded.
Despite recent surges, statistics suggest meth may not be as prevalent in Georgia as other drugs. In 2008, federal authorities seized 65 kilograms of methamphetamine. During that same year, more than 15 times that amount of cocaine was confiscated.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said he believes the problem may be greater in northern, more rural counties.
Two of the biggest busts in U.S. history, though, happened right here.
A raid conducted at a Lawrenceville home Wednesday netted 174 pounds of crystal meth, firearms and thousands of dollars in dirty money. Thirty-one suspects, members of a Mexican drug cartel, were arrested. Right under the nose of its neighbors, the house served as a conversion lab for Mexican meth.
In May, federal authorities raided two Duluth homes being used as stash houses, seizing more than 350 pounds of Mexican crystal meth with an estimated street value of $7.7 million.
"From the perspective of a drug smuggler ... Gwinnett County offers access to major thoroughfares for moving their product around the Southeast and access to transportation corridors facilitating transportation of illegal drugs throughout the country," Kelly said.
Gwinnett County Sheriff's spokeswoman Stacey Bourbonnais said the county jail's medical staff doesn't keep statistics of prisoners' specific drug preference. But according to the inmates being processed, meth is their drug of choice.
"In the last 10 years, the medical staff here has seen the move from crack cocaine being the top reported drug to meth being at the top of the list," Bourbonnais said.
After an intense initial rush and period of euphoria, users may become hyperactive and be unable to sleep. That's when they often resort to different drugs to stabilize themselves.
"For instance, those taking meth are also taking benzodiazepines like Xanax or a sedating antipsychotic like Seroquel to help them come down," Bourbonnais said.
While these additional drugs lead to additional issues, meth is the root of the dental problems ( also known as "meth mouth" ) and psychosis burdening jail medical personnel. It's the reason inmates seeking replacement drugs try to "manipulate the system" during their incarceration and why officials see increased cases of HIV and Hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases.
In 2007, Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner James Donald said the prison system, operating at 105 percent capacity, had taken in nearly 3,000 meth-related criminals in a year.
Gwinnett Medical Center officials reported treating injuries suffered while under the influence of meth, and one case of a man convinced that he could fly.
So meth causes rotten teeth, violent behavior and brain damage. It is responsible for fatal explosions and prison sentences - what's the appeal?
Priscilla Woolwine, director of Gwinnett County's drug treatment court, said she's been told there's not a drug on the market - or black market, as it may be - that makes a person as high as meth.
"It's the nonstop energy they receive," she said. "When they first start doing meth, they have the ability to do anything; They have all this energy and can clean for hours, stay awake and get things done."
The fact that it is cheaper and can be made at home, she said, is also attractive to the prospective user.
Ironically, because meth can turn off the brain's ability to produce dopamine, users can be left with an inability to receive pleasure from anything except more and more meth.
A futile attempt, as Woolwine said that initial high can never be duplicated.
Jim Langford, a native north Georgian, is the executive director of the Georgia Meth Project, a privately funded meth prevention campaign modeled after the Montana Meth Project.
Citing staggering crime and drug use statistics in some Georgia counties, and Montana's success in reducing these incidents, Langford said it is imperative to address the "emergency."
"This drug is a real monster. A flesh-eating, brain-frying, homicide-suicide inducing, child-poisoning monster," Langford said in a release. "And it costs us big money."
Studies conducted by the RAND Corporation suggest he is right. Between health care, incarceration, law enforcement, foster care and lost work productivity, meth use reportedly costs Georgia about $1.3 billion a year.
Attorney General Thurbert Baker agreed that something needs to be done.
"Methampetamine is crippling our state. We spend millions each year on meth-related incarcerations alone, and yet the number of addicts in Georgia continues to grow rapidly," he said. "If we do nothing, our criminal justice system will reach a breaking point. As a state, we must take a stand against this drug that is all too rapidly addicting our youth."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n965/a09.html
Newshawk: Jim
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 25 Oct 2009
Source: Gwinnett Daily Post, The (GA)
Copyright: 2009 Post-Citizen Media Inc.
Contact: letters@gwinnettdailypost.com
Website: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2480
Note: Letters can run as long as 400 words.
Author: Heather Hamacher, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
CONSULTATION NEEDED AFTER NEEDLE LIMITATION ANNOUNCEMENT: FIVE HILLS CEO
The CEO of the health region which includes Moose Jaw said consultation will be needed after it was announced this week that the number of needles handed out by the province's exchange programs will be limited.
In Wednesday's throne speech, Premier Brad Wall said capping how many needles can be handed over at one time means addicts will have to visit health workers more often, creating more opportunities to seek treatment.
"At this time, we do not have enough information to comment on the impact ( of the announcement on Moose Jaw's needle exchange program ). There will be lots of consultation throughout the region," said Cheryl Craig, CEO of the Five Hills Health Region.
" We would agree that our goal is to reduce drug use and break the cycle of addiction to ensure the safety of all. The ultimate goal is one we agree with and we would like to be part of the consultations with the ministry."
Wall also said Thursday consultation will be needed with various groups before the exact limit on needles will be determined.
Moose Jaw's needle exchange unit is based at the corner of First Avenue Northwest and Ominica Street.
Moose Jaw North MLA Warren Michelson said province-wide, more needles per capita are given out than anywhere else in Canada.
"It tells us we have serious problems that need to be looked at," said Michelson.
Michelson said the idea of the limitation was for drug users to have more contact with health workers.
"By doing so it will perhaps encourage them to get into a program that will take them off the dependance of drugs."
Michelson said that although the return on needles was about 90 per cent in the province, there was still many found in alleyways or playgrounds.
" We have to look at this and how we can re-examine this project to make it work better," said Michelson.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n965/a08.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sat, 24 Oct 2009
Source: Moose Jaw Times-Herald (CN SN)
Section: Front Page
Copyright: 2009 The Moose Jaw Times-Herald Group Inc.
Contact: (306) 692-2101
Website: http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2154
Note: No email LTEs accepted - use fax or mail
Author: Rebecca Lawrence
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)
In Wednesday's throne speech, Premier Brad Wall said capping how many needles can be handed over at one time means addicts will have to visit health workers more often, creating more opportunities to seek treatment.
"At this time, we do not have enough information to comment on the impact ( of the announcement on Moose Jaw's needle exchange program ). There will be lots of consultation throughout the region," said Cheryl Craig, CEO of the Five Hills Health Region.
" We would agree that our goal is to reduce drug use and break the cycle of addiction to ensure the safety of all. The ultimate goal is one we agree with and we would like to be part of the consultations with the ministry."
Wall also said Thursday consultation will be needed with various groups before the exact limit on needles will be determined.
Moose Jaw's needle exchange unit is based at the corner of First Avenue Northwest and Ominica Street.
Moose Jaw North MLA Warren Michelson said province-wide, more needles per capita are given out than anywhere else in Canada.
"It tells us we have serious problems that need to be looked at," said Michelson.
Michelson said the idea of the limitation was for drug users to have more contact with health workers.
"By doing so it will perhaps encourage them to get into a program that will take them off the dependance of drugs."
Michelson said that although the return on needles was about 90 per cent in the province, there was still many found in alleyways or playgrounds.
" We have to look at this and how we can re-examine this project to make it work better," said Michelson.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n965/a08.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sat, 24 Oct 2009
Source: Moose Jaw Times-Herald (CN SN)
Section: Front Page
Copyright: 2009 The Moose Jaw Times-Herald Group Inc.
Contact: (306) 692-2101
Website: http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2154
Note: No email LTEs accepted - use fax or mail
Author: Rebecca Lawrence
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)
Saturday, October 24, 2009
METHADONE TREATMENT CENTRE FINALLY OPENS
A local office of Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres ( OATC ) opened in Fort Frances yesterday-several years after the need for one in the area was first identified.
OATC focuses on therapy specifically for those addicted to opiates, such as heroin, morphine, Percocet/Percodan, codeine, and opium.
Since its inception in 1995, OATC was treated well over 10,000 clients and "has helped many people return to a life full of dignity, hope, and self-respect."
"It's a service that there is a demand for in the community," noted local pharmacist Kim Metke, owner of both Pharmasave and the Fort Frances Clinic Dispensary.
"It's unfortunate that we haven't been able to meet it up until now, and it's nice that it's finally here," he added.
Metke, who is involved in a methadone clinic in Dryden, had been trying to get a treatment centre going here for more than a year.
"I attempted to find location for them last year and then they didn't seem to be ready to go on it," he remarked, explaining the hold-up.
"When they did look at the location, they didn't think it was as satisfactory as another one might be. So they looked around and came up with the present location [the former K of C Hall at 404 Scott St.]" "If it had been up to me, it would have been in a lot sooner," Metke said. "But the doctors had to get organized to put it in."
Jeff Tilbury, with Riverside Community Counselling Services, also is happy to finally have a treatment centre here.
"I definitely think it's a step in the right direction for people with opiate problems," he said. "It's not the end all, be all, but it's definitely a very needed part of the treatment continuum for people struggling with opiate addictions.
"It's definitely something we needed to have happen here," he stressed.
Tilbury noted district residents had been accessing the service in towns such as Dryden and Kenora.
"It's very difficult for people to travel as many times as they are required to a month or week, so I think this will cut down on travel expenses," he indicated.
He also believes more people will access the local service now who perhaps weren't able to get themselves to Kenora or Dryden.
"So I think a lot more people that have been struggling will come forward," Tilbury said. "There is that untouched population that might surface."
"I know there are a large number of people that have been going up to Dryden who are quite anxious for this to be here because obviously going to Dryden is not very convenient," echoed Metke.
The local OATC is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m.-2:50 p.m., as well as Saturdays and Sundays from 9-11:50 a.m.
Tilbury indicated that should the local OATC work similarly to ones in other communities, people can get referrals from their doctor, through Riverside Community Counselling Services, or simply walk in the door of the clinic itself.
Centre staff here referred all inquires to the OATC head office in Richmond Hill, Ont. But when contacted by the Times, a person there said they were "not interested in providing your newspaper with any information at this time."
According to the OATC's website ( www.oatc.ca ), the local centre will offer services including the Methadone Maintenance Program, which is based on an Out-patient Harm Reduction Model.
It consists of an initial intake interview, a signed treatment contract and treatment plan, addiction counselling, regular medical follow-up, a daily methadone dose, and post-methadone treatment.
The website noted methadone is a long-acting opioid medication, and is an effective and legal substitute for heroin or other narcotics.
It will significantly decreases drug cravings and helps eliminate drug use, it said.
"It helps to stabilize the lives of people who are dependent on opiates and reduce the harm related to drug use," the website reads.
The centre also utilizes a multi-disciplinary treatment team approach, including physicians, nurses, addiction counsellors, pharmacists, and other allied health professionals.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n958/a04.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 21 Oct 2009
Source: Fort Frances Times (CN ON)
Copyright: 2009 Fort Frances Times Limited
Contact: news@fortfrancesonline.com
Website: http://www.fftimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2343
Author: Heather Latter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
OATC focuses on therapy specifically for those addicted to opiates, such as heroin, morphine, Percocet/Percodan, codeine, and opium.
Since its inception in 1995, OATC was treated well over 10,000 clients and "has helped many people return to a life full of dignity, hope, and self-respect."
"It's a service that there is a demand for in the community," noted local pharmacist Kim Metke, owner of both Pharmasave and the Fort Frances Clinic Dispensary.
"It's unfortunate that we haven't been able to meet it up until now, and it's nice that it's finally here," he added.
Metke, who is involved in a methadone clinic in Dryden, had been trying to get a treatment centre going here for more than a year.
"I attempted to find location for them last year and then they didn't seem to be ready to go on it," he remarked, explaining the hold-up.
"When they did look at the location, they didn't think it was as satisfactory as another one might be. So they looked around and came up with the present location [the former K of C Hall at 404 Scott St.]" "If it had been up to me, it would have been in a lot sooner," Metke said. "But the doctors had to get organized to put it in."
Jeff Tilbury, with Riverside Community Counselling Services, also is happy to finally have a treatment centre here.
"I definitely think it's a step in the right direction for people with opiate problems," he said. "It's not the end all, be all, but it's definitely a very needed part of the treatment continuum for people struggling with opiate addictions.
"It's definitely something we needed to have happen here," he stressed.
Tilbury noted district residents had been accessing the service in towns such as Dryden and Kenora.
"It's very difficult for people to travel as many times as they are required to a month or week, so I think this will cut down on travel expenses," he indicated.
He also believes more people will access the local service now who perhaps weren't able to get themselves to Kenora or Dryden.
"So I think a lot more people that have been struggling will come forward," Tilbury said. "There is that untouched population that might surface."
"I know there are a large number of people that have been going up to Dryden who are quite anxious for this to be here because obviously going to Dryden is not very convenient," echoed Metke.
The local OATC is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m.-2:50 p.m., as well as Saturdays and Sundays from 9-11:50 a.m.
Tilbury indicated that should the local OATC work similarly to ones in other communities, people can get referrals from their doctor, through Riverside Community Counselling Services, or simply walk in the door of the clinic itself.
Centre staff here referred all inquires to the OATC head office in Richmond Hill, Ont. But when contacted by the Times, a person there said they were "not interested in providing your newspaper with any information at this time."
According to the OATC's website ( www.oatc.ca ), the local centre will offer services including the Methadone Maintenance Program, which is based on an Out-patient Harm Reduction Model.
It consists of an initial intake interview, a signed treatment contract and treatment plan, addiction counselling, regular medical follow-up, a daily methadone dose, and post-methadone treatment.
The website noted methadone is a long-acting opioid medication, and is an effective and legal substitute for heroin or other narcotics.
It will significantly decreases drug cravings and helps eliminate drug use, it said.
"It helps to stabilize the lives of people who are dependent on opiates and reduce the harm related to drug use," the website reads.
The centre also utilizes a multi-disciplinary treatment team approach, including physicians, nurses, addiction counsellors, pharmacists, and other allied health professionals.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n958/a04.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 21 Oct 2009
Source: Fort Frances Times (CN ON)
Copyright: 2009 Fort Frances Times Limited
Contact: news@fortfrancesonline.com
Website: http://www.fftimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2343
Author: Heather Latter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Friday, October 23, 2009
PART 1: THE PROBLEM
Why Do We Need A Methadone Program Anyway?
First in a three-part series examining the effectiveness of the province's methadone treatment program for drug addictions
The first time J.J. tried to detox, he thought he was going to die.
"The sickness is probably comparable to somebody's last few days of cancer," he says, describing constant diarrhea, vomiting, muscle aches, joint pains and cravings.
As he came off heroin in the Vancouver Harbour Light, J.J. didn't know he'd start using again.
And again.
People don't die from coming off opiates like heroin, OxyContin and morphine, but most addicts will tell you that they want to.
The success rate of detoxification is low, but in the past few years there's been another option for addicts in this province - methadone.
But even methadone advocates will say it doesn't work for everyone and it can have serious side effects.
Used properly, it can help some people change their lives.
This time around, J.J. is using methadone.
"It's not the magic cure. There's a whole lot of other shit ( you've ) got to deal with. And I'm one of the lucky ones," he says, looking down at his two-year-old son playing with colouring books on the floor of the St. John's apartment, where the boy lives with his mother.
After getting clean and clear of the heroin he'd gotten hooked on in jail in British Columbia, J.J. came back to his home province to attend college in Labrador.
When his father died, and he and his girlfriend broke up, he got back on the drugs. This time it was OxyContin.
He went to a doctor while he was in St. John's for his father's funeral and said he was trying to get weaned off the drugs.
At the height of the OxyContin crisis, J.J. was prescribed seven tablets of OxyContin a day.
His sister did the same and was prescribed 12 tablets a day, J.J. says.
The high from OxyContin is exactly the same as from heroin, he says.
But once he started methadone, even when J.J. tried to get high, he felt nothing.
"It blocks the buzz completely."
Now J.J. has started weaning off the methadone, a milligram a week. He has 39 mg to go.
He cares for his son regularly and is looking for work for the first time in years.
"It's a nuisance to me now, but I don't want to rush getting off it," he says.
"Once I get off methadone I know I can get a buzz off Oxy again. ... You do Oxy two, three days in a row and you'll be hooked."
For years, the addictions treatment program in St. John's had treated people for alcohol, marijuana and cocaine additions.
Then the first OxyContin junkies walked through the doors.
Barry Hewitt, the head of addictions services, says things changed in the capital city when OxyContin appeared here earlier this decade.
Treatment at the recovery centre changes shortly after.
The addicts came from everywhere, Hewitt recalls.
Some of them had legitimate pain and were prescribed OxyContin and became dependent on it. Others were buying it on the street.
By the time the OxyContin task force sent out its final report in 2004, Hewitt and others working at the Pleasantville recovery centre had gone from seeing the odd narcotics addict to more than 100 within two years.
That number didn't include addicts still on the street who weren't looking for help.
"One person actually brought in a picture of himself and said, 'This is who I want to be again.'" Hewitt says.
Prostitution, thefts and armed robberies were on the rise.
Residential and commercial break and enters were up roughly 30 per cent in 2004 over 2003, and armed robberies doubled.
Then, in 2005, an explosive story broke about a St. John's physician, Dr. Sean Buckingham, who had been prescribing drugs in exchange for sex.
Suddenly, "OxyCodone," "needle exchange," and "detox" became household words in what had been thought to be a relatively crime-free, drug-free city.
Five of the 50 recommendations of the OxyContin task force were related to using methadone to treat OxyContin addiction.
Today, methadone is prescribed and distributed by a handful of doctors and pharmacists specially trained in the use of the drug for about 600 addicts across the province.
There is no average addict, Hewitt says, but many of the people he sees are young men who have been using for five or six years.
The waitlist at the treatment centre has more than 60 names on it, and there are waitlists at doctors' offices as well.
Methadone, a synthetic opiate, was created to battle heroin addiction in veterans of the Second World War, who became addicted when heroin was used as a pain-management alternative to morphine.
The breakthrough with methadone was that it gave relief to those going through the sickness of withdrawal and also blocked receptors for opiates, meaning that users couldn't get high from other opiates when they were taking the drug.
Users can, however, still get high from some drugs, like cocaine and marijuana.
Experts say another benefit of methadone is that a person isn't impaired when taking it. That's why it's regularly prescribed to people who are suffering from chronic pain.
Advocates for the use of methadone say it's a proven way for addicts to "get their heads straight," and stabilize their lives.
Then the weaning process begins.
"We don't tell a person how long they should be on methadone. A person decides for themselves how long they want to be on ( it )," Hewitt says.
"It's only when they get down to the lower doses ... that's when the scary part kicks in. That's when some of the triggers happen and the anxiety comes up. That's when you need the most resources."
Hewitt says frankly, as long as people are seeing the benefits of methadone, he doesn't care if they stay on it for life, though that doesn't happen often.
And no wonder. People don't want to have to visit a pharmacy every day of their lives. They want to be able to travel or move without the hassle of having to have prescriptions transferred and finding new doctors and pharmacists and building relationships with them.
"It's not an option for everyone because you've got to be committed and it regulates your life," Hewitt says of methadone treatment, adding that it's difficult to maintain it in rural areas.
In some parts of the province there are no doctors prescribing methadone, while in other parts there are no pharmacies selling it, meaning some people have to travel for one or the other.
The success rate of methadone treatment is boosted greatly when counselling is a part of the program.
It was a particular problem with the program - a lack of doctors and pharmacies treating addicts in St. John's - that got Dr. Jeff White involved.
White was looking for a new focus for his career when he read a story in The Telegram about a couple who'd had their child removed from their care because of their addictions. The couple said they wanted to get off OxyContin and they had to move to central Newfoundland for methadone treatment.
White knew no one in St. John's was prescribing the drug and decided to get training through Health Canada.
"I thought this might be an interesting sideline at the time, but it certainly blossomed into a busier practice than I'd expected," White says.
About 70 per cent of his patients - 300 people - are on methadone.
He'd like to see more doctors and pharmacists taking part in the program.
"I think what deters the other doctors is the clientele. ... The training is not difficult, it's not long."
People are in need of help, he says.
And though OxyContin is still on the street, White says he hears regularly that methadone's out there too.
Most of the addicts who come to him now say they've tried methadone before.
It's actually cheaper than OxyContin on the street, White says.
And though the methadone program in this province is one of the strongest compared to others in North America and the U.K., some things are still lacking.
FAST FACTS
All about Methadone
Methadone was developed in Germany as a substitute for morphine.
In the 1960s, researchers in the United States used methadone to help some veterans kick the heroin habit they developed in lieu of taking morphine during the Second World War.
Further research by Canadian doctors helped create the first methadone maintenance treatment program in British Columbia in 1963.
Methadone is one of two drugs regularly prescribed to deal with addicts' cravings.
National guidelines for prescribing methadone were introduced in 1972.
Source: Health Canada
METHADONE BY THE NUMBERS
$7-$10 the cost of a single dose of methadone.
$50 the cost of a single 80-milligram tablet of OxyContin on the street.
46 Number of community pharmacies in the province permitted to distribute methadone, not including the methadone program or hospital pharmacies.
60-100 number of milligrams of methadone addicts tend to start on.
124 the number of people in the methadone treatment program.
64 the number of people waiting to get into the program.
592 the number of people in the province prescribed methadone as of Oct. 15.
550 the number of estimated injection drug users in this province in 2007.
6,000 the number of clean needles provided through the needle-exchange program through the AIDS Committee of NL in 2006.
$625,000 the annual budget of the methadone treatment program, which goes to salaries, medical supplies, office supplies and groceries ( fruit and coffee for staff and addicts ).
Saturday: Part 2: The controversy.
Is methadone good medicine or just another opiate for addicts?
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n958/a03.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 23 Oct 2009
Source: Telegram, The (CN NF)
Copyright: 2009 The Telegram
Contact: letters@thetelegram.com
Website: http://www.thetelegram.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/303
Author: Alisha Morrissey, The Telegram
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
First in a three-part series examining the effectiveness of the province's methadone treatment program for drug addictions
The first time J.J. tried to detox, he thought he was going to die.
"The sickness is probably comparable to somebody's last few days of cancer," he says, describing constant diarrhea, vomiting, muscle aches, joint pains and cravings.
As he came off heroin in the Vancouver Harbour Light, J.J. didn't know he'd start using again.
And again.
People don't die from coming off opiates like heroin, OxyContin and morphine, but most addicts will tell you that they want to.
The success rate of detoxification is low, but in the past few years there's been another option for addicts in this province - methadone.
But even methadone advocates will say it doesn't work for everyone and it can have serious side effects.
Used properly, it can help some people change their lives.
This time around, J.J. is using methadone.
"It's not the magic cure. There's a whole lot of other shit ( you've ) got to deal with. And I'm one of the lucky ones," he says, looking down at his two-year-old son playing with colouring books on the floor of the St. John's apartment, where the boy lives with his mother.
After getting clean and clear of the heroin he'd gotten hooked on in jail in British Columbia, J.J. came back to his home province to attend college in Labrador.
When his father died, and he and his girlfriend broke up, he got back on the drugs. This time it was OxyContin.
He went to a doctor while he was in St. John's for his father's funeral and said he was trying to get weaned off the drugs.
At the height of the OxyContin crisis, J.J. was prescribed seven tablets of OxyContin a day.
His sister did the same and was prescribed 12 tablets a day, J.J. says.
The high from OxyContin is exactly the same as from heroin, he says.
But once he started methadone, even when J.J. tried to get high, he felt nothing.
"It blocks the buzz completely."
Now J.J. has started weaning off the methadone, a milligram a week. He has 39 mg to go.
He cares for his son regularly and is looking for work for the first time in years.
"It's a nuisance to me now, but I don't want to rush getting off it," he says.
"Once I get off methadone I know I can get a buzz off Oxy again. ... You do Oxy two, three days in a row and you'll be hooked."
For years, the addictions treatment program in St. John's had treated people for alcohol, marijuana and cocaine additions.
Then the first OxyContin junkies walked through the doors.
Barry Hewitt, the head of addictions services, says things changed in the capital city when OxyContin appeared here earlier this decade.
Treatment at the recovery centre changes shortly after.
The addicts came from everywhere, Hewitt recalls.
Some of them had legitimate pain and were prescribed OxyContin and became dependent on it. Others were buying it on the street.
By the time the OxyContin task force sent out its final report in 2004, Hewitt and others working at the Pleasantville recovery centre had gone from seeing the odd narcotics addict to more than 100 within two years.
That number didn't include addicts still on the street who weren't looking for help.
"One person actually brought in a picture of himself and said, 'This is who I want to be again.'" Hewitt says.
Prostitution, thefts and armed robberies were on the rise.
Residential and commercial break and enters were up roughly 30 per cent in 2004 over 2003, and armed robberies doubled.
Then, in 2005, an explosive story broke about a St. John's physician, Dr. Sean Buckingham, who had been prescribing drugs in exchange for sex.
Suddenly, "OxyCodone," "needle exchange," and "detox" became household words in what had been thought to be a relatively crime-free, drug-free city.
Five of the 50 recommendations of the OxyContin task force were related to using methadone to treat OxyContin addiction.
Today, methadone is prescribed and distributed by a handful of doctors and pharmacists specially trained in the use of the drug for about 600 addicts across the province.
There is no average addict, Hewitt says, but many of the people he sees are young men who have been using for five or six years.
The waitlist at the treatment centre has more than 60 names on it, and there are waitlists at doctors' offices as well.
Methadone, a synthetic opiate, was created to battle heroin addiction in veterans of the Second World War, who became addicted when heroin was used as a pain-management alternative to morphine.
The breakthrough with methadone was that it gave relief to those going through the sickness of withdrawal and also blocked receptors for opiates, meaning that users couldn't get high from other opiates when they were taking the drug.
Users can, however, still get high from some drugs, like cocaine and marijuana.
Experts say another benefit of methadone is that a person isn't impaired when taking it. That's why it's regularly prescribed to people who are suffering from chronic pain.
Advocates for the use of methadone say it's a proven way for addicts to "get their heads straight," and stabilize their lives.
Then the weaning process begins.
"We don't tell a person how long they should be on methadone. A person decides for themselves how long they want to be on ( it )," Hewitt says.
"It's only when they get down to the lower doses ... that's when the scary part kicks in. That's when some of the triggers happen and the anxiety comes up. That's when you need the most resources."
Hewitt says frankly, as long as people are seeing the benefits of methadone, he doesn't care if they stay on it for life, though that doesn't happen often.
And no wonder. People don't want to have to visit a pharmacy every day of their lives. They want to be able to travel or move without the hassle of having to have prescriptions transferred and finding new doctors and pharmacists and building relationships with them.
"It's not an option for everyone because you've got to be committed and it regulates your life," Hewitt says of methadone treatment, adding that it's difficult to maintain it in rural areas.
In some parts of the province there are no doctors prescribing methadone, while in other parts there are no pharmacies selling it, meaning some people have to travel for one or the other.
The success rate of methadone treatment is boosted greatly when counselling is a part of the program.
It was a particular problem with the program - a lack of doctors and pharmacies treating addicts in St. John's - that got Dr. Jeff White involved.
White was looking for a new focus for his career when he read a story in The Telegram about a couple who'd had their child removed from their care because of their addictions. The couple said they wanted to get off OxyContin and they had to move to central Newfoundland for methadone treatment.
White knew no one in St. John's was prescribing the drug and decided to get training through Health Canada.
"I thought this might be an interesting sideline at the time, but it certainly blossomed into a busier practice than I'd expected," White says.
About 70 per cent of his patients - 300 people - are on methadone.
He'd like to see more doctors and pharmacists taking part in the program.
"I think what deters the other doctors is the clientele. ... The training is not difficult, it's not long."
People are in need of help, he says.
And though OxyContin is still on the street, White says he hears regularly that methadone's out there too.
Most of the addicts who come to him now say they've tried methadone before.
It's actually cheaper than OxyContin on the street, White says.
And though the methadone program in this province is one of the strongest compared to others in North America and the U.K., some things are still lacking.
FAST FACTS
All about Methadone
Methadone was developed in Germany as a substitute for morphine.
In the 1960s, researchers in the United States used methadone to help some veterans kick the heroin habit they developed in lieu of taking morphine during the Second World War.
Further research by Canadian doctors helped create the first methadone maintenance treatment program in British Columbia in 1963.
Methadone is one of two drugs regularly prescribed to deal with addicts' cravings.
National guidelines for prescribing methadone were introduced in 1972.
Source: Health Canada
METHADONE BY THE NUMBERS
$7-$10 the cost of a single dose of methadone.
$50 the cost of a single 80-milligram tablet of OxyContin on the street.
46 Number of community pharmacies in the province permitted to distribute methadone, not including the methadone program or hospital pharmacies.
60-100 number of milligrams of methadone addicts tend to start on.
124 the number of people in the methadone treatment program.
64 the number of people waiting to get into the program.
592 the number of people in the province prescribed methadone as of Oct. 15.
550 the number of estimated injection drug users in this province in 2007.
6,000 the number of clean needles provided through the needle-exchange program through the AIDS Committee of NL in 2006.
$625,000 the annual budget of the methadone treatment program, which goes to salaries, medical supplies, office supplies and groceries ( fruit and coffee for staff and addicts ).
Saturday: Part 2: The controversy.
Is methadone good medicine or just another opiate for addicts?
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n958/a03.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 23 Oct 2009
Source: Telegram, The (CN NF)
Copyright: 2009 The Telegram
Contact: letters@thetelegram.com
Website: http://www.thetelegram.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/303
Author: Alisha Morrissey, The Telegram
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
MINIMUM SENTENCES CAN BE UNJUST
Terry Bazzani could star in an ad campaign about the foolishness of mandatory minimum sentences.
Bazzani has no hands and short arms. He has only half of his left foot. He's had a series of surgeries on his face. He has no criminal record.
And he has pleaded guilty to importing heroin. He was a drug mule; he swallowed heroin capsules in Colombia and flew to Toronto. Police had been tipped off and arrested him.
It's a serious crime. It's also the kind of offence that some politicians would like to see linked to a mandatory minimum sentence. Judges would have no discretion. Anyone guilty would receive a guaranteed term in a penitentiary.
Fortunately, the measures aren't in place. Bazzani will be sentenced later this month, based on the judge's analysis.
The politicians think they can decide the appropriate punishment without knowing about the crime or the people sitting the courtroom - not just the criminal, but the victims too.
But crime circumstances vary. For some offenders, serious prison time might be appropriate - a repeat drug trafficking offender or high-volume importer. A strong deterrent sentence might be needed.
Bazzani has no convictions. He said the smuggling wasn't planned. He traveled to Colombia to see a woman he had met online. He was approached in a bar, offered $10,000 to swallow the drugs and fell for the lure of easy money. ( That might not be true of course, but the Crown has offered no evidence to contradict the story. )
And offenders' circumstances vary. Imprisonment is a serious punishment for anyone.
But Bazzani would do spectacularly hard time. No hands, remember? He can't feed himself, except sandwiches. He can't clean himself after going to the bathroom, unless he has a shower. He spent five weeks in pretrial custody and went without brushing his teeth, cleaning himself and ate little food.
And he certainly can't stand up for himself. Which means that in prison he will be a victim, or locked up a protective custody. Bazzani's doctor spends two days a week providing care for inmates at the Vancouver Island Regional Correction Centre. The handless man would be in danger in prison, says Dr. James Henry, who said he treats inmates who are victims of violence.
Bazzani illustrates one problem with mandatory minimum sentences. Some people are going to be punished with sentences far out of proportion to their crimes, because judges are fettered with arbitrary, political sentencing rules.
There are other problems. They don't actually reduce crime, for starters.
And they cost taxpayers a fortune as more prisons are built and staffed to house a growing number of inmates.
B.C.'s jails are already overcrowded. The Solicitor General's Ministry service plan says there are "dangerous levels of inmate overcrowding" and reveals prisons are operating at 185 per cent of capacity. The situation "increasingly compromises community and staff safety," the ministry says.
The federal government has passed legislation to impose mandatory minimum sentences for a wider range of drug offences. The Senate is now reviewing the law and the Conservatives have already complained its not moving quickly enough to "get tough on crime."
The Conservatives won't reveal the cost of imprisoning more people as a result of their changes to the Criminal Code. But the government has doubled the capital budget for building new cells. At a minimum, analysts suggest, it will cost more than $100 million a year to lock up the new inmates.
Which might be fine it reduced crime and made Canadians safer.
But it doesn't. The Americans have been down this road. Thanks in part to mandatory minimum sentences, the U.S., on a per capita basis, imprisons six times more of its citizens than Canada. Crime has not been reduced; it is not safer. Just poorer
And more people like Bazzani have ended up in desperate situations behind bars.
Judges - the people who actually hear the evidence and study the laws - - are far more likely to impose effective, appropriate sentences than politicians looking for some good headlines.
Footnote: Here in B.C., the problem isn't just jail overcrowding. The Solicitor General's Ministry service plan also notes that the number of offenders under community supervision orders jumped by 10 per cent last year, to 22,000. The increases, without a corresponding increase in staff to ensure offenders obey the rules of their release, are also compromising public safety, the ministry notes.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n959/a02.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 22 Oct 2009
Source: Trail Daily Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Trail Daily Times
Contact: http://www.trailtimes.ca/section/trail0301&template=letter
Website: http://www.trailtimes.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1043
Author: Paul Willcocks
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing)
Bazzani has no hands and short arms. He has only half of his left foot. He's had a series of surgeries on his face. He has no criminal record.
And he has pleaded guilty to importing heroin. He was a drug mule; he swallowed heroin capsules in Colombia and flew to Toronto. Police had been tipped off and arrested him.
It's a serious crime. It's also the kind of offence that some politicians would like to see linked to a mandatory minimum sentence. Judges would have no discretion. Anyone guilty would receive a guaranteed term in a penitentiary.
Fortunately, the measures aren't in place. Bazzani will be sentenced later this month, based on the judge's analysis.
The politicians think they can decide the appropriate punishment without knowing about the crime or the people sitting the courtroom - not just the criminal, but the victims too.
But crime circumstances vary. For some offenders, serious prison time might be appropriate - a repeat drug trafficking offender or high-volume importer. A strong deterrent sentence might be needed.
Bazzani has no convictions. He said the smuggling wasn't planned. He traveled to Colombia to see a woman he had met online. He was approached in a bar, offered $10,000 to swallow the drugs and fell for the lure of easy money. ( That might not be true of course, but the Crown has offered no evidence to contradict the story. )
And offenders' circumstances vary. Imprisonment is a serious punishment for anyone.
But Bazzani would do spectacularly hard time. No hands, remember? He can't feed himself, except sandwiches. He can't clean himself after going to the bathroom, unless he has a shower. He spent five weeks in pretrial custody and went without brushing his teeth, cleaning himself and ate little food.
And he certainly can't stand up for himself. Which means that in prison he will be a victim, or locked up a protective custody. Bazzani's doctor spends two days a week providing care for inmates at the Vancouver Island Regional Correction Centre. The handless man would be in danger in prison, says Dr. James Henry, who said he treats inmates who are victims of violence.
Bazzani illustrates one problem with mandatory minimum sentences. Some people are going to be punished with sentences far out of proportion to their crimes, because judges are fettered with arbitrary, political sentencing rules.
There are other problems. They don't actually reduce crime, for starters.
And they cost taxpayers a fortune as more prisons are built and staffed to house a growing number of inmates.
B.C.'s jails are already overcrowded. The Solicitor General's Ministry service plan says there are "dangerous levels of inmate overcrowding" and reveals prisons are operating at 185 per cent of capacity. The situation "increasingly compromises community and staff safety," the ministry says.
The federal government has passed legislation to impose mandatory minimum sentences for a wider range of drug offences. The Senate is now reviewing the law and the Conservatives have already complained its not moving quickly enough to "get tough on crime."
The Conservatives won't reveal the cost of imprisoning more people as a result of their changes to the Criminal Code. But the government has doubled the capital budget for building new cells. At a minimum, analysts suggest, it will cost more than $100 million a year to lock up the new inmates.
Which might be fine it reduced crime and made Canadians safer.
But it doesn't. The Americans have been down this road. Thanks in part to mandatory minimum sentences, the U.S., on a per capita basis, imprisons six times more of its citizens than Canada. Crime has not been reduced; it is not safer. Just poorer
And more people like Bazzani have ended up in desperate situations behind bars.
Judges - the people who actually hear the evidence and study the laws - - are far more likely to impose effective, appropriate sentences than politicians looking for some good headlines.
Footnote: Here in B.C., the problem isn't just jail overcrowding. The Solicitor General's Ministry service plan also notes that the number of offenders under community supervision orders jumped by 10 per cent last year, to 22,000. The increases, without a corresponding increase in staff to ensure offenders obey the rules of their release, are also compromising public safety, the ministry notes.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n959/a02.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 22 Oct 2009
Source: Trail Daily Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Trail Daily Times
Contact: http://www.trailtimes.ca/section/trail0301&template=letter
Website: http://www.trailtimes.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1043
Author: Paul Willcocks
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
GUELPH-AREA DRUG STRATEGY COMMITTEE'S PLAN INCLUDES SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
GUELPH - The Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy Committee is presenting a city committee Monday an ambitious plan to enhance services for area people struggling with drug addiction.
That includes a second-year goal of creating a 30-bed transitional supportive housing facility in Guelph.
"It's a priority," committee chair Heather Kerr said Friday.
People who don't have a place to stay, whether in Guelph or surrounding Wellington County, have an extra challenge getting off illicit drugs, she said.
"It's awfully difficult to do."
But the committee, which is in its infancy, is laying some groundwork first with detailed planning over the past summer.
The area has agencies and programs to deal with drug addictions, but not the comprehensive approach the organization is bringing to the city's emergency services, community services and operations committee at 5 p.m. Monday.
That's the message from addicts and front-line health care workers, Kerr said Friday. "They're hitting some barriers. They're finding some gaps," Kerr said of people with addictions. "We as service providers understand that and know that. We're going to have to work different and smarter."
Prior to seeking transitional housing, her committee has devised an ambitious set of goals in a first year that's about to be launched, under the guidance of full-time co-ordinator Raechelle Devereaux.
"We're right at the action stage. That's the exciting part," said Kerr, who is also executive director of the local Stonehenge treatment facility.
Among the priorities for the first year, which has just begun, is reducing wait lists for residential treatment at Kerr's Stonehenge and the Homewood Health Centre in Guelph.
Also in October, her committee is surveying treatment referral staff for insight into what people with addictions are choosing to do, whether waiting for services or going outside the region as an alternative.
"Our first step is, really, quantifying the need. That's on the horizon," Devereaux said. "Those two exploratory efforts are happening now."
Another priority is devising an intensive outpatient program for people ending their addictions, to help maintain abstinence, while another is reducing the misuse of prescription drugs.
Further, the committee is preparing to distribute information packages to local physicians regarding prescribing narcotic drugs, the availability of addiction resources and pain management options for patients, Devereaux continued. They should be mailed out in November or December.
One of the goals is establishing a 14-week prevention-focused parenting program that brings together local agencies, including Family & Children's Services. The intention is to strengthen family relationships, Devereaux said.
The committee's addiction harm reduction goal includes a forum next spring for the community at large and frontline workers in the field.
The committee's also preparing a wallet card on local addiction services, for distribution next month and December.
In co-operation with the Addiction and Mental Health Network, her committee is planning a free public address Nov. 4 featuring West Coast addictions expert Bruce Alexander. It begins 7:30 p.m. at the Scottsdale Drive Holiday Inn. To register, call Devereaux at 821-6638, ext. 350 or email her at rdevereaux@guelphchc.ca.
Alexander, an addiction counselor and educator, is author of the book The Globalization of Addiction. It has a larger focus than the individual addict, suggesting addiction is more a societal issue.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n947/a02.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 18 Oct 2009
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2009 Guelph Mercury Newspapers Limited
Contact: editor@guelphmercury.com
Website: http://news.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Author: Vik Kirsch
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
That includes a second-year goal of creating a 30-bed transitional supportive housing facility in Guelph.
"It's a priority," committee chair Heather Kerr said Friday.
People who don't have a place to stay, whether in Guelph or surrounding Wellington County, have an extra challenge getting off illicit drugs, she said.
"It's awfully difficult to do."
But the committee, which is in its infancy, is laying some groundwork first with detailed planning over the past summer.
The area has agencies and programs to deal with drug addictions, but not the comprehensive approach the organization is bringing to the city's emergency services, community services and operations committee at 5 p.m. Monday.
That's the message from addicts and front-line health care workers, Kerr said Friday. "They're hitting some barriers. They're finding some gaps," Kerr said of people with addictions. "We as service providers understand that and know that. We're going to have to work different and smarter."
Prior to seeking transitional housing, her committee has devised an ambitious set of goals in a first year that's about to be launched, under the guidance of full-time co-ordinator Raechelle Devereaux.
"We're right at the action stage. That's the exciting part," said Kerr, who is also executive director of the local Stonehenge treatment facility.
Among the priorities for the first year, which has just begun, is reducing wait lists for residential treatment at Kerr's Stonehenge and the Homewood Health Centre in Guelph.
Also in October, her committee is surveying treatment referral staff for insight into what people with addictions are choosing to do, whether waiting for services or going outside the region as an alternative.
"Our first step is, really, quantifying the need. That's on the horizon," Devereaux said. "Those two exploratory efforts are happening now."
Another priority is devising an intensive outpatient program for people ending their addictions, to help maintain abstinence, while another is reducing the misuse of prescription drugs.
Further, the committee is preparing to distribute information packages to local physicians regarding prescribing narcotic drugs, the availability of addiction resources and pain management options for patients, Devereaux continued. They should be mailed out in November or December.
One of the goals is establishing a 14-week prevention-focused parenting program that brings together local agencies, including Family & Children's Services. The intention is to strengthen family relationships, Devereaux said.
The committee's addiction harm reduction goal includes a forum next spring for the community at large and frontline workers in the field.
The committee's also preparing a wallet card on local addiction services, for distribution next month and December.
In co-operation with the Addiction and Mental Health Network, her committee is planning a free public address Nov. 4 featuring West Coast addictions expert Bruce Alexander. It begins 7:30 p.m. at the Scottsdale Drive Holiday Inn. To register, call Devereaux at 821-6638, ext. 350 or email her at rdevereaux@guelphchc.ca.
Alexander, an addiction counselor and educator, is author of the book The Globalization of Addiction. It has a larger focus than the individual addict, suggesting addiction is more a societal issue.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n947/a02.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 18 Oct 2009
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2009 Guelph Mercury Newspapers Limited
Contact: editor@guelphmercury.com
Website: http://news.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Author: Vik Kirsch
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
MARIJUANA PROVEN EFFECTIVE IN TREATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCERS
Marijuana opponents in the federal government are up against the wall and the wall is crumbling. The feds have fought marijuana use for decades, disregarding its medicinal applications, in a senseless war against the herb.
The demonized killer weed is turning out to be anything but that. As myths about this ancient herb are dispelled, scientists are using it to treat everything from chemotherapy-induced nausea to different cancers.
In August, The British Journal of Cancer published the results of a study that found THC ( the main active component in marijuana ) is effective in fighting prostate cancer. Reportedly, pot attacks prostate cancer cell types that do not respond to the usual hormone treatments.
A recent study by a team of Spanish researchers discovered THC kills various brain cancer cells by a process known as autophagy. Michigan's new law regarding marijuana use went into effect in April. Patients, with doctor's prescriptions, get a state-issued ID Card ( a lot like California's ) which allows them to grow and use marijuana to treat pain and other symptoms of cancer and multiple sclerosis.
In October 2003, the University of California, San Francisco, released the results of a study that said pot was effective when used in combination with opiate pain medications. Dr. Donald Abrams, MD, UCSF professor of Clinical Medicine and chief of the Hematology-Oncology Division at SF General Hospital Medical Center, told the press, "Marijuana uses a different mechanism than opiates and could augment the pain relief of opiate analgesics."
The Marijuana Policy Project recently reported on a study that suggests moderate amounts of marijuana use reduces risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma ( HNSCC ). This study suggests cannabinoids have potential anti-tumor properties.
A study released in July, "White matter in adolescents with history of marijuana use and binge drinking," says marijuana use actually protects brain cells. The study involved adolescents with alcohol use disorders.
One group had just alcohol-drinking teens. The other group drank alcohol and used marijuana. The report said that binge drinkers who used marijuana retained more white matter than the other group. In other words, alcohol destroyed more brain cells when a person didn't use marijuana.
How many times have you heard someone say, "Pot destroys your brain cells"? If that's true, what about this study? Why do doctors use marijuana to fight brain cancer if it destroys brain cells? Remember the Spanish study?
In April of 2007, Harvard University researchers released the results of a study that concluded THC cuts tumor growth in common lung cancers and reduces the ability of the cancer to spread.
A study conducted by UCLA's medical school in June 2005 concluded smoking marijuana did not cause lung cancer. That impressive piece of news, along with the Harvard study, seems to have been ignored by most mass media outlets.
Fred Gardner, editor of the medical marijuana research journal, O'Shaughnessy's, recently wrote an article, "Smoking Marijuana Does Not Cause Cancer," about this groundbreaking UCLA study that barely made headlines.
Gardner reported that an investigative team was contracted with the National Institute on Drug Abuse ( NIDA ) in 2002 "to conduct a large, population-based, case-controlled study that would prove definitively that heavy, long-term marijuana use increases the risk of lung and upper-airway cancers."
Guess what? This study backfired! It turned out that increased marijuana use did not result in higher rates of lung and pharyngeal cancer. The study also concluded that tobacco smokers who also puffed on pot were at a slightly lower risk of getting lung cancer than those who didn't!
Perhaps the icing on the cake is the fact that UCLA Medical professor Donald Tashkin led the investigation. Tashkin has led government studies on marijuana since the 1970s and is well known for his belief that heavy marijuana use causes lung and upper-airway cancers. To his credit as a professional, he ended up disproving his own original hypothesis.
Despite the government's efforts to keep it illegal, it's apparent that marijuana does offer help in the battle to treat cancer. The facts about marijuana's medical potentials are finally causing cracks in the government's wall of lies built up over the years.
As It Stands, it's time to bring down that wall.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n943/a01.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate/
Votes: 1
Pubdate: Sun, 18 Oct 2009
Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA)
Copyright: 2009 Times-Standard
Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051
Author: Dave Stancliff
Note: Dave Stancliff is a columnist for The Times-Standard. He is a former newspaper editor and publisher.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
The demonized killer weed is turning out to be anything but that. As myths about this ancient herb are dispelled, scientists are using it to treat everything from chemotherapy-induced nausea to different cancers.
In August, The British Journal of Cancer published the results of a study that found THC ( the main active component in marijuana ) is effective in fighting prostate cancer. Reportedly, pot attacks prostate cancer cell types that do not respond to the usual hormone treatments.
A recent study by a team of Spanish researchers discovered THC kills various brain cancer cells by a process known as autophagy. Michigan's new law regarding marijuana use went into effect in April. Patients, with doctor's prescriptions, get a state-issued ID Card ( a lot like California's ) which allows them to grow and use marijuana to treat pain and other symptoms of cancer and multiple sclerosis.
In October 2003, the University of California, San Francisco, released the results of a study that said pot was effective when used in combination with opiate pain medications. Dr. Donald Abrams, MD, UCSF professor of Clinical Medicine and chief of the Hematology-Oncology Division at SF General Hospital Medical Center, told the press, "Marijuana uses a different mechanism than opiates and could augment the pain relief of opiate analgesics."
The Marijuana Policy Project recently reported on a study that suggests moderate amounts of marijuana use reduces risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma ( HNSCC ). This study suggests cannabinoids have potential anti-tumor properties.
A study released in July, "White matter in adolescents with history of marijuana use and binge drinking," says marijuana use actually protects brain cells. The study involved adolescents with alcohol use disorders.
One group had just alcohol-drinking teens. The other group drank alcohol and used marijuana. The report said that binge drinkers who used marijuana retained more white matter than the other group. In other words, alcohol destroyed more brain cells when a person didn't use marijuana.
How many times have you heard someone say, "Pot destroys your brain cells"? If that's true, what about this study? Why do doctors use marijuana to fight brain cancer if it destroys brain cells? Remember the Spanish study?
In April of 2007, Harvard University researchers released the results of a study that concluded THC cuts tumor growth in common lung cancers and reduces the ability of the cancer to spread.
A study conducted by UCLA's medical school in June 2005 concluded smoking marijuana did not cause lung cancer. That impressive piece of news, along with the Harvard study, seems to have been ignored by most mass media outlets.
Fred Gardner, editor of the medical marijuana research journal, O'Shaughnessy's, recently wrote an article, "Smoking Marijuana Does Not Cause Cancer," about this groundbreaking UCLA study that barely made headlines.
Gardner reported that an investigative team was contracted with the National Institute on Drug Abuse ( NIDA ) in 2002 "to conduct a large, population-based, case-controlled study that would prove definitively that heavy, long-term marijuana use increases the risk of lung and upper-airway cancers."
Guess what? This study backfired! It turned out that increased marijuana use did not result in higher rates of lung and pharyngeal cancer. The study also concluded that tobacco smokers who also puffed on pot were at a slightly lower risk of getting lung cancer than those who didn't!
Perhaps the icing on the cake is the fact that UCLA Medical professor Donald Tashkin led the investigation. Tashkin has led government studies on marijuana since the 1970s and is well known for his belief that heavy marijuana use causes lung and upper-airway cancers. To his credit as a professional, he ended up disproving his own original hypothesis.
Despite the government's efforts to keep it illegal, it's apparent that marijuana does offer help in the battle to treat cancer. The facts about marijuana's medical potentials are finally causing cracks in the government's wall of lies built up over the years.
As It Stands, it's time to bring down that wall.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n943/a01.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate/
Votes: 1
Pubdate: Sun, 18 Oct 2009
Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA)
Copyright: 2009 Times-Standard
Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051
Author: Dave Stancliff
Note: Dave Stancliff is a columnist for The Times-Standard. He is a former newspaper editor and publisher.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Monday, October 19, 2009
POLICE PLAN TO CRACK DOWN ON DRUG-DRIVERS
Don't toke and drive could be a new awareness slogan as of Oct. 15.
This month new legislation for drug-impaired drivers comes into effect, meaning those who smoke, snort or shoot up before getting behind the wheel will face the same penalties as those who are caught drinking and driving.
The measure is an expansion of the Alberta Administrative License Suspension ( AALS ) program, and was introduced as a measure by the federal government.
Prior to this legislation, if a police officer suspected a driver of being high they could only request a voluntary drug test.
Now tests will be mandatory for those suspected and will be conducted by police.
Alberta Transportation spokesperson Martin Dupuis said the new law doesn't mean police can test anyone who exhibits signs, as they could also be suffering from a medical condition or have another reason for acting strange.
"There could be different reasons, we have to establish that first," he said.
"So they have to get that out of the way of course."
Dupuis said on the enforcement side of things, he wasn't sure how officers would enforce the law as drugs can still be found in someone's system days after they have done them.
"I don't have all the details about this," he said, adding safety is Alberta Transportation's main priority. "Our goal is to help keep impaired drivers off our roads, that's definitely our main focus."
Rachel Rae, marketing director for Sure Hire, a company that specializes in pre-employment drug testing, said depending on what type of testing will be used, drugs can be found in a person's body days after doing them.
"It really depends on the type of testing," she said.
The three main tests, using saliva, urine and hair, yield different results on how long ago a person used and how chronic of a drug user a person is.
It was not known by the Eagle's press time what type of testing police will be using under the new law.
Saliva testing usually shows drug use within the last 24 hours, a urine test within the past three to five days, with marijuana being the exception. Traces of it can often be found in urine up to a month after use.
Hair testing can give long term results. A half inch of hair is equivalent to 30 days, and usually an inch and a half of hair is tested.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n944/a08.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 14 Oct 2009
Source: Cochrane Eagle (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 Cochrane Eagle
Contact: letters@cochraneeagle.com
Website: http://www.cochraneeagle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3992
Author: Cori Lee Miller
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
This month new legislation for drug-impaired drivers comes into effect, meaning those who smoke, snort or shoot up before getting behind the wheel will face the same penalties as those who are caught drinking and driving.
The measure is an expansion of the Alberta Administrative License Suspension ( AALS ) program, and was introduced as a measure by the federal government.
Prior to this legislation, if a police officer suspected a driver of being high they could only request a voluntary drug test.
Now tests will be mandatory for those suspected and will be conducted by police.
Alberta Transportation spokesperson Martin Dupuis said the new law doesn't mean police can test anyone who exhibits signs, as they could also be suffering from a medical condition or have another reason for acting strange.
"There could be different reasons, we have to establish that first," he said.
"So they have to get that out of the way of course."
Dupuis said on the enforcement side of things, he wasn't sure how officers would enforce the law as drugs can still be found in someone's system days after they have done them.
"I don't have all the details about this," he said, adding safety is Alberta Transportation's main priority. "Our goal is to help keep impaired drivers off our roads, that's definitely our main focus."
Rachel Rae, marketing director for Sure Hire, a company that specializes in pre-employment drug testing, said depending on what type of testing will be used, drugs can be found in a person's body days after doing them.
"It really depends on the type of testing," she said.
The three main tests, using saliva, urine and hair, yield different results on how long ago a person used and how chronic of a drug user a person is.
It was not known by the Eagle's press time what type of testing police will be using under the new law.
Saliva testing usually shows drug use within the last 24 hours, a urine test within the past three to five days, with marijuana being the exception. Traces of it can often be found in urine up to a month after use.
Hair testing can give long term results. A half inch of hair is equivalent to 30 days, and usually an inch and a half of hair is tested.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n944/a08.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 14 Oct 2009
Source: Cochrane Eagle (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 Cochrane Eagle
Contact: letters@cochraneeagle.com
Website: http://www.cochraneeagle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3992
Author: Cori Lee Miller
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?224 (Cannabis and Driving)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
THE UNDERMINING OF SACRIFICE
CITIZENSHIP is an entwinement of rights and obligations.
It is that inner voice which keeps us on the straight and narrow, and moves us to do our duty as members of the community.
The ultimate test of good citizenship occurred twice in the 20th century: in the Great War of 1914-1918, and the Second World War of 1939-1945.
At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 we stand, silent, in solemn remembrance of men who were killed in the two wars: 60,000 young men in the Great War, and 42,000 in the Second World War. A great many more sustained lifelong incapacitating injuries.
After 1945, demobilized soldiers, sailors and airmen struggled through the transition to civilian life in a new Canada, a land of opportunity, an industrial state that had manufactured all manner of military equipment and sophisticated products. In 1939, Canada's cupboard was empty, in 1945 it was full; and in the aftermath of the war Canada's economy continued to expand and diversify.
It was a remarkable transition for a million young Canadians: from the depths of the Great Depression to a savage global war, and then back home to enjoy duty's reward: freedom under law and order in a democratic country.
I often wonder about ordinary young Canadians and whether a glimpse into the experiences of one veteran is typical of others.
On Oct. 4, a single page in the Province riveted me to its every word. Under the kicker Jim English: 1924-2009, the headline read Bridge Builder Fought with Devil's Brigade; Coalmont Survivor of Second Narrows Bridge Collapse Was 'Bulletproof.'
It was a fitting tribute to Jim English by staff reporter Susan Lazaruk. English died in September just before his 85th birthday. Lazaruk portrayed English as a strong and modest man who, when called upon, could do extraordinary things; an exemplary citizen in all respects.
Like so many others working in downtown Vancouver in 1958, I watched the slow progress of the building of a six-lane bridge across Burrard Inlet's Second Narrows; its seemingly unsupported steel girders extending further and further high above dark and turbulent waters below. On June 17, 1958, word spread that the bridge had collapsed, sending me to a vantage point to stare, stunned, at the devastation of a downed bridge.
Eighteen workers were killed, 79 were injured. English plunged to the bottom of the narrows and floated to the surface suffering from extensive bruising, a broken tailbone and a gash on his face. As soon as he recovered from his injuries, English was back on the Second Narrows Bridge continuing his lifelong passion for building bridges.
English's physical strength and toughness was hard-earned during his boyhood. He left home at age 11 to work and board on various farms near Prince George. In 1939, 15-year-old English put adolescence and farming aside and joined the Canadian army.
As a battle-tested foot soldier and sniper, twice wounded, English won transfer to the First Special Service Force, a brigade made up of three elite regiments -- a mingling of 700 Canadians with 1,700 Americans. Their intensity in combat soon earned them the nickname of The Devils Brigade -- inspired by their blackened faces and daring courage.
English's luck as a soldier returned with him to Canada. On March 27, 1948, he married Ruby Ready, a union that continued for 60 years until Ruby's death on Christmas Day 2008.
In 1945, when English and all his comrades-in-arms returned home, they settled into making Canadian communities civil and peaceable.
Yet within one generation, just 30 years after the war ended, a deviant drug subculture began insinuating itself into society.
And during the last 10 years local drug users have become increasingly vocal and organized, propagandizing as the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and claiming an inherent right to use illicit drugs without moral and ethical constraint. Their ultimate goal: decriminalization of illicit drugs.
Anomalous users of cannabis are on a parallel path lead by their pretender, Marc Emery, the self-proclaimed Prince of Pot. Presently in custody in Vancouver, Emery will soon be on his way to the United States to begin a plea-bargained sentence of five years for selling cannabis seeds to Americans. ( It was a profitable business ).
Emery is a self-proclaimed marijuana martyr. In fact he is a serial violator of the law prohibiting possession of cannabis; and, as a pipsqueak scofflaw, he has earned a well-deserved sentence in the reality of an American jail.
In A Nation Forged in Fire: Canadians and the Second World War 1939-1945, authors J.L. Granatstein and Desmond Morton said that "Those men and women who gave their lives might have written great books, discovered cures for disease, or, more likely, simply have lived out their days in peace in their native land. They lost the chance for a full life because of forces beyond their control, beyond their country's control -- forces most of them comprehended only dimly.
"Was it worth it? Was it worth the death, the maiming, the unending pain? That is a terrible question if posed by someone who lost a son, a husband, or a father at Ortona, on HMCS St. Croix, or in a Lancaster over the Ruhr. Even so, there can be only one answer. Was it worth it? Oh, yes."
On Nov. 11, we shall stand silent commemorating the sacrifice of those young men and women; evermore mindful of our rights and obligations as citizens of Canada.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n944/a05.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 1
Pubdate: Wed, 14 Oct 2009
Source: North Shore News, The (CN QU)
Copyright: 2009 The North Shore News
Contact: editor@the-news.ca
Website: http://www.ns-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4497
Author: Wallace Gilby Craig
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Marc+Emery
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
It is that inner voice which keeps us on the straight and narrow, and moves us to do our duty as members of the community.
The ultimate test of good citizenship occurred twice in the 20th century: in the Great War of 1914-1918, and the Second World War of 1939-1945.
At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 we stand, silent, in solemn remembrance of men who were killed in the two wars: 60,000 young men in the Great War, and 42,000 in the Second World War. A great many more sustained lifelong incapacitating injuries.
After 1945, demobilized soldiers, sailors and airmen struggled through the transition to civilian life in a new Canada, a land of opportunity, an industrial state that had manufactured all manner of military equipment and sophisticated products. In 1939, Canada's cupboard was empty, in 1945 it was full; and in the aftermath of the war Canada's economy continued to expand and diversify.
It was a remarkable transition for a million young Canadians: from the depths of the Great Depression to a savage global war, and then back home to enjoy duty's reward: freedom under law and order in a democratic country.
I often wonder about ordinary young Canadians and whether a glimpse into the experiences of one veteran is typical of others.
On Oct. 4, a single page in the Province riveted me to its every word. Under the kicker Jim English: 1924-2009, the headline read Bridge Builder Fought with Devil's Brigade; Coalmont Survivor of Second Narrows Bridge Collapse Was 'Bulletproof.'
It was a fitting tribute to Jim English by staff reporter Susan Lazaruk. English died in September just before his 85th birthday. Lazaruk portrayed English as a strong and modest man who, when called upon, could do extraordinary things; an exemplary citizen in all respects.
Like so many others working in downtown Vancouver in 1958, I watched the slow progress of the building of a six-lane bridge across Burrard Inlet's Second Narrows; its seemingly unsupported steel girders extending further and further high above dark and turbulent waters below. On June 17, 1958, word spread that the bridge had collapsed, sending me to a vantage point to stare, stunned, at the devastation of a downed bridge.
Eighteen workers were killed, 79 were injured. English plunged to the bottom of the narrows and floated to the surface suffering from extensive bruising, a broken tailbone and a gash on his face. As soon as he recovered from his injuries, English was back on the Second Narrows Bridge continuing his lifelong passion for building bridges.
English's physical strength and toughness was hard-earned during his boyhood. He left home at age 11 to work and board on various farms near Prince George. In 1939, 15-year-old English put adolescence and farming aside and joined the Canadian army.
As a battle-tested foot soldier and sniper, twice wounded, English won transfer to the First Special Service Force, a brigade made up of three elite regiments -- a mingling of 700 Canadians with 1,700 Americans. Their intensity in combat soon earned them the nickname of The Devils Brigade -- inspired by their blackened faces and daring courage.
English's luck as a soldier returned with him to Canada. On March 27, 1948, he married Ruby Ready, a union that continued for 60 years until Ruby's death on Christmas Day 2008.
In 1945, when English and all his comrades-in-arms returned home, they settled into making Canadian communities civil and peaceable.
Yet within one generation, just 30 years after the war ended, a deviant drug subculture began insinuating itself into society.
And during the last 10 years local drug users have become increasingly vocal and organized, propagandizing as the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and claiming an inherent right to use illicit drugs without moral and ethical constraint. Their ultimate goal: decriminalization of illicit drugs.
Anomalous users of cannabis are on a parallel path lead by their pretender, Marc Emery, the self-proclaimed Prince of Pot. Presently in custody in Vancouver, Emery will soon be on his way to the United States to begin a plea-bargained sentence of five years for selling cannabis seeds to Americans. ( It was a profitable business ).
Emery is a self-proclaimed marijuana martyr. In fact he is a serial violator of the law prohibiting possession of cannabis; and, as a pipsqueak scofflaw, he has earned a well-deserved sentence in the reality of an American jail.
In A Nation Forged in Fire: Canadians and the Second World War 1939-1945, authors J.L. Granatstein and Desmond Morton said that "Those men and women who gave their lives might have written great books, discovered cures for disease, or, more likely, simply have lived out their days in peace in their native land. They lost the chance for a full life because of forces beyond their control, beyond their country's control -- forces most of them comprehended only dimly.
"Was it worth it? Was it worth the death, the maiming, the unending pain? That is a terrible question if posed by someone who lost a son, a husband, or a father at Ortona, on HMCS St. Croix, or in a Lancaster over the Ruhr. Even so, there can be only one answer. Was it worth it? Oh, yes."
On Nov. 11, we shall stand silent commemorating the sacrifice of those young men and women; evermore mindful of our rights and obligations as citizens of Canada.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n944/a05.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 1
Pubdate: Wed, 14 Oct 2009
Source: North Shore News, The (CN QU)
Copyright: 2009 The North Shore News
Contact: editor@the-news.ca
Website: http://www.ns-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4497
Author: Wallace Gilby Craig
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Marc+Emery
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
FIGHTING SMALL TOWN CRIME
There is a sense of security living in a small town; everybody knows one another and looks out for one's neighbours.
Being in one's own environment brings a sense of not only security, but comfort, family, and belonging. That is exactly the way it should be; but that is not the way it has to be.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of reasons why those in small-town Alberta can no longer have those comfortable feelings of safety and security.
Right here in the backyard of Cypress County there was recently a major drug bust that involved two locations and was so sophisticated only organized criminals could have pulled it off. Right here, as children were put on the school bus in the morning and life seemed to be carrying on as normal, there has been evil lurking in the background.
As life was carrying on, two elaborate marijuana grow-ops were in full-swing of production. Well-organized criminals were driving our roads, shopping in our stores, and purchasing fuel at our gas stations as they carried on with their business of illegal pursuits.
Because of this recent crime, and others, including break and enters and theft from vehicles, the days of not having to look over your shoulder, not having to lock the doors ( on the home and vehicle ), and the days when those living in rural areas could feel completely safe are over.
While crime will never be totally eradicated, there are things people can do to keep it to a minimum and end it abruptly when it does occur. Law enforcement has been vigilant about encouraging people to report even the slightest odd ocurance. What may seem as a bad feeling at the time, may indeed result in something more. When that bad feeling happens, do not ignore it. Get on the phone and contact your local law enforcement agency. What may seem insignificant at the time may be very valuable information to the police. Let them make that judgement call.
As well, no longer is it safe leave the doors unlocked. Too easily, the back door is left unlocked because one is only going to the neighbour's place or the store and is only planning on being gone a few, short moments. If a criminal wanted to get in to your home, it takes them only a few short moments, as well, especially if they have an easily accessible entry route. It takes a second to ensure the door is locked before leaving home, but the sense of securty will come with knowing you have an efficient lock and securtiy system.
The same holds true for vehicles. With the cold winter months fast approaching, it is tempting to leave the vehicle running while running in to collect the mail or buy a jug of milk. Leave the motor running and your vehicle could be gone by the time you get to the check-out counter. And, what about the purse, shopping packages, and other valuables that get left behind in vehicles. Those who have had the experience of having to replace all their identification, deal with insurance claims, and feeling victimized by having their valuables stolen from their cars probably do not want to live that experience more than once.
Safety, security, and comfort can still be found in small-town Alberta, but it is no longer free. In order to have it, it has to be combined with vigilance, cautiousness, and alertness.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n944/a03.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 1
Pubdate: Thu, 15 Oct 2009
Source: 40-Mile County Commentator, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 The 40-Mile County Commentator
Contact: dpilon@my403.com
Website: http://www.bowislandcommentator.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2541
Being in one's own environment brings a sense of not only security, but comfort, family, and belonging. That is exactly the way it should be; but that is not the way it has to be.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of reasons why those in small-town Alberta can no longer have those comfortable feelings of safety and security.
Right here in the backyard of Cypress County there was recently a major drug bust that involved two locations and was so sophisticated only organized criminals could have pulled it off. Right here, as children were put on the school bus in the morning and life seemed to be carrying on as normal, there has been evil lurking in the background.
As life was carrying on, two elaborate marijuana grow-ops were in full-swing of production. Well-organized criminals were driving our roads, shopping in our stores, and purchasing fuel at our gas stations as they carried on with their business of illegal pursuits.
Because of this recent crime, and others, including break and enters and theft from vehicles, the days of not having to look over your shoulder, not having to lock the doors ( on the home and vehicle ), and the days when those living in rural areas could feel completely safe are over.
While crime will never be totally eradicated, there are things people can do to keep it to a minimum and end it abruptly when it does occur. Law enforcement has been vigilant about encouraging people to report even the slightest odd ocurance. What may seem as a bad feeling at the time, may indeed result in something more. When that bad feeling happens, do not ignore it. Get on the phone and contact your local law enforcement agency. What may seem insignificant at the time may be very valuable information to the police. Let them make that judgement call.
As well, no longer is it safe leave the doors unlocked. Too easily, the back door is left unlocked because one is only going to the neighbour's place or the store and is only planning on being gone a few, short moments. If a criminal wanted to get in to your home, it takes them only a few short moments, as well, especially if they have an easily accessible entry route. It takes a second to ensure the door is locked before leaving home, but the sense of securty will come with knowing you have an efficient lock and securtiy system.
The same holds true for vehicles. With the cold winter months fast approaching, it is tempting to leave the vehicle running while running in to collect the mail or buy a jug of milk. Leave the motor running and your vehicle could be gone by the time you get to the check-out counter. And, what about the purse, shopping packages, and other valuables that get left behind in vehicles. Those who have had the experience of having to replace all their identification, deal with insurance claims, and feeling victimized by having their valuables stolen from their cars probably do not want to live that experience more than once.
Safety, security, and comfort can still be found in small-town Alberta, but it is no longer free. In order to have it, it has to be combined with vigilance, cautiousness, and alertness.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n944/a03.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 1
Pubdate: Thu, 15 Oct 2009
Source: 40-Mile County Commentator, The (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 The 40-Mile County Commentator
Contact: dpilon@my403.com
Website: http://www.bowislandcommentator.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2541
Friday, October 16, 2009
PARENTS SHOULD SET SPECIFIC BOUNDARIES
Parenting is a difficult job, probably the toughest - you never get a break!
As parents we often consider the potential problems that might harm our children. These what if's are a source of great stress. In this article I will briefly describe some common what if's and provide some sage ( hopefully ) advice for each concern.
. Drug/alcohol experimentation - what if I do nothing. Kids need boundaries.
They want to know what you think, they need your advice. More importantly, your silence is permission. When kids don't talk to their parents about drugs they get their 'facts' from other teenagers.
Please talk to your kids about drugs and set very specific boundaries. Further, prepare firm but fair consequences for when your child does not follow rules.
. What if I find drugs or drug paraphernalia? If you find drugs or drug paraphernalia you must talk to your child. This will be a difficult conversation because your child will try to deflect the conversation by arguing that his/her privacy was violated. They may threaten to run away or they become upset or angry. Threats, posturing, arguing are to be expected.
We need to intervene in our child's life. Again, they need clear boundaries and if they have a drug problem they will need your help! Conversely, what if we don't intervene and a drug problem becomes an addiction - then we, as parents, are partially responsible.
. What if I don't talk to other parents about their child's drug or alcohol problem? A simple rule that I have always used is if it was my child would I want to know? The answer is always yes. We need the courage to talk to other parents - even if there is potential for an argument or bad feelings.
Protection of the child is always paramount.
. What if we don't seek help for our young adult? Some families are worried about embarrassment, shame or blame. However, asking for help is not a sign of weakness; in fact, it is a sign of strength and courage and every parent's obligation. We live in a community where outstanding help is available.
Please, talk to your doctor.
. Kids are going to drink anyway. What if I provide a safe place for them to drink? As a responsible parent we can never let this happen.
When we have other children in our home we are legally and morally responsible for them. The recent unfortunate case in Maple Ridge should be a wakeup call for all parents. When a 16 year-old-girl perished at the party the homeowner was charged with failing to provide the necessities of life.
Don't let kids drink at your home.
Research clearly shows that positive parenting has a good outcome for teens - lower rates of depression, less likely to engage in risky behavior, better school performance, more respectful conduct and better ability to deal with conflict. Parenting teenagers is a tough job, but our kids deserve our best effort.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n945/a09.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 16 Oct 2009
Source: Morning Star, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Morning Star
Contact: morningstarnews@bcnewsgroup.com
Website: http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1352
Author: Doug Rogers
As parents we often consider the potential problems that might harm our children. These what if's are a source of great stress. In this article I will briefly describe some common what if's and provide some sage ( hopefully ) advice for each concern.
. Drug/alcohol experimentation - what if I do nothing. Kids need boundaries.
They want to know what you think, they need your advice. More importantly, your silence is permission. When kids don't talk to their parents about drugs they get their 'facts' from other teenagers.
Please talk to your kids about drugs and set very specific boundaries. Further, prepare firm but fair consequences for when your child does not follow rules.
. What if I find drugs or drug paraphernalia? If you find drugs or drug paraphernalia you must talk to your child. This will be a difficult conversation because your child will try to deflect the conversation by arguing that his/her privacy was violated. They may threaten to run away or they become upset or angry. Threats, posturing, arguing are to be expected.
We need to intervene in our child's life. Again, they need clear boundaries and if they have a drug problem they will need your help! Conversely, what if we don't intervene and a drug problem becomes an addiction - then we, as parents, are partially responsible.
. What if I don't talk to other parents about their child's drug or alcohol problem? A simple rule that I have always used is if it was my child would I want to know? The answer is always yes. We need the courage to talk to other parents - even if there is potential for an argument or bad feelings.
Protection of the child is always paramount.
. What if we don't seek help for our young adult? Some families are worried about embarrassment, shame or blame. However, asking for help is not a sign of weakness; in fact, it is a sign of strength and courage and every parent's obligation. We live in a community where outstanding help is available.
Please, talk to your doctor.
. Kids are going to drink anyway. What if I provide a safe place for them to drink? As a responsible parent we can never let this happen.
When we have other children in our home we are legally and morally responsible for them. The recent unfortunate case in Maple Ridge should be a wakeup call for all parents. When a 16 year-old-girl perished at the party the homeowner was charged with failing to provide the necessities of life.
Don't let kids drink at your home.
Research clearly shows that positive parenting has a good outcome for teens - lower rates of depression, less likely to engage in risky behavior, better school performance, more respectful conduct and better ability to deal with conflict. Parenting teenagers is a tough job, but our kids deserve our best effort.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n945/a09.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 16 Oct 2009
Source: Morning Star, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Morning Star
Contact: morningstarnews@bcnewsgroup.com
Website: http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1352
Author: Doug Rogers
Thursday, October 15, 2009
LEGALIZE IT?
A Northampton Lawyer Brings A Bill To Tax And Regulate Pot To The Statehouse.
In 1981, Dick Evans, a Northampton attorney and long-time advocate for drug law reform, drafted a marijuana legalization bill "just to see what one would look like," he said.
Evans got the bill before the state Legislature via the right to petition, a law that allows citizens to file bills. And because he found a legislator to file the bill on his behalf—improbably enough, it was Andrew Card, who went on to serve as chief of staff to George W. Bush but at the time was a progressive Republican state rep from eastern Mass.—it was guaranteed a committee hearing.
The day of the hearing, Evans said, "I loaded a few friends in the car and we drove down to Boston." When they arrived, they found the room packed with anti-drug parents' groups and other opponents. Evans offered his testimony in support of the bill, then the opponents offered theirs.
"Then the chairman of the committee looked at his watch and said, 'I think we heard enough. Let's put this to a vote. All in favor say "Aye."'
"My friends and I jumped up and said 'Aye!'" Evans said. Then the committee chair asked for those opposed to say "nay."
"The building shook," Evans recalled with a laugh. "Bang went the gavel, and that was it for 28 years."
This week, Evans once again traveled to Boston to make the case for a marijuana legalization bill he drafted, at an Oct. 14 hearing of the Joint Committee on Revenue. Like the one he filed 28 years ago, this bill calls for the regulation of commercial growing and sale of marijuana, and would impose an excise tax on the product.
While Evans does not expect the bill to fast-track into law, he does hope it will spark a healthy, honest public discussion about marijuana, in a way that was not possible back in 1981. What's changed, he said, is the growing acknowledgement of what he calls an "indisputable fact": "Marijuana in our culture is ubiquitous, and it is ineradicable. That may not have been so clear 28 years ago," Evans said.
Today, he noted, references to casual pot smoking are everywhere in pop culture. Just last month, he noted, the Today show—inspired by an article in Marie Claire magazine with the unfortunate title "Stiletto Stoners"—ran a segment in which successful middle-class women with careers and families talked about their recreational pot use. Matt Lauer may have feigned surprise, Evans said, but the stories rang true for many Americans, including those who flooded the show's website with testimonials of their own pot use.
Marijuana use crosses all kinds of boundaries in the United States, Evans argued: class, race, region, educational background. "It's something that almost everybody has in common—something the NASCAR [fans] and the liberal elites have in common," he said.
"Whether you like it or not, we're beyond the point of whether marijuana is good or bad," Evans said. "The policy makers can't recognize that for some reason." But it's time, he said, to undo the current punitive pot laws and replace them with a more practical approach.
*
Evans' "Act to Regulate and Tax the Cannabis Industry" calls for the legal sale of marijuana by licensed vendors, who, along with growers and distributors, would be overseen by a state Cannabis Control Board. The board would have seven part-time paid members appointed by the governor.
Under the bill, cannabis could be sold in quantities of one ounce, in sealed containers that identify the grower and the grade and include a warning about driving under the influence. ( The bill would have no effect on existing laws about driving while impaired. ) Buyers would have to be at least 21 years old, and sales via vending machines would be prohibited. The pot could not contain additives, or be part of a beverage or snack food.
Small-scale "backyard" growers would not be taxed or regulated, in the same way home beer brewers are not regulated by state alcohol laws. Indeed, the bill bears a strong resemblance to the laws that regulate alcohol sales in the state.
Evans' bill would also impose a steep excise tax on marijuana sales, ranging from $150 to $250 per ounce, depending on its grade ( the amount of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, it contains ).
That last provision is especially relevant given the current dismal state of Massachusetts' economy. Regulating and taxing marijuana could have significant fiscal benefits for the commonwealth, supporters contend. A much-cited 2003 study by Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron concluded that legalizing pot would save Massachusetts $120.6 million a year, the cost of arresting and prosecuting people on marijuana charges. ( That figure was often pointed to by supporters of Question 2, the 2008 ballot question that decriminalized the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. ) Miron's report also found that legalization could generate almost $17 million a year in tax revenue for the state.
"Legalization has its economic advantages and attractive prospects, but it's more than that," Evans said. "It's ending the terrible injustice of prohibition, under which people have been so brutalized for turning to cannabis, when the government is urging them to use lethal drugs like alcohol and nicotine."
The bill, he went on, would also force an honest discussion about what constitutes marijuana use, and what constitutes abuse. "Under prohibition, we necessarily conflate use and abuse," he said. But our legal system has found ways to draw the line between use and abuse, and between responsible and irresponsible use, with other legal drugs, including alcohol.
*
Like Evans, Terry Franklin of Amherst is a long-time advocate of marijuana reform, working with the UMass Cannabis Reform Coalition and organizing his town's annual Extravaganja festival.
He's also active in libertarian politics—not an unusual position for drug law reformers, many of whom make the case that the government shouldn't stick its nose into what people do in their private lives if those activities don't hurt others. Still, Franklin told the Advocate, "Regulation is the buzzword these days, especially in this state, so I don't see any way around it." And, he added, "Suffering under regulation and taxation is much better than having people taken away in chains and put in cages."
Should a marijuana taxation bill ever pass, Franklin said, "I hope the tax level ... isn't so excessive that the criminal justice industry merely turns the War on Drugs into the War on Tax Evasion." A provision allowing the growth of marijuana for personal use ( which Evans' bill includes ) "would alleviate some of the problems," Franklin noted.
While the Oct. 14 hearing focused on the bill's potential tax implications, there are broader issues to consider, Franklin added. "Marijuana use is a de facto spiritual practice for a great number of its proponents, regardless of whether they think of it in those terms or not," he said. "And while people may view any particular religion ( or all religion ) as silly and worthy of mockery, many are still accepting of religious freedom as good public policy, if only because of the effort and cost to society of engaging in religious suppression."
The bill could also force politicians into taking public positions on the issue. "That way voters can make an informed choice come election time," Franklin said.
He pointed, for example, to the heated Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Ted Kennedy. "The two top contenders, [Attorney General] Martha Coakley and [U.S. Rep.] Mike Capuano, have radically different positions," Franklin noted. "Ms. Coakley opposed [Question 2], and has worked to undermine it since passage." ( Coakley has encouraged municipalities to impose additional fines for public pot smoking, on top of the $100 civil fine for minor possession that was approved by 65 percent of voters on the November ballot question. )
Capuano, in contrast, is a co-sponsor of a national decriminalization bill, filed by Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican. "I hope the voters are paying attention," Franklin said.
*
The Oct. 14 Revenue Committee hearing ( which took place after the Advocate went to press ) was not the only opportunity for debate about the legalization bill. A Senate version of the bill is due for its own hearing before the Judiciary Committee sometime before March, Evans said.
The current bill was filed for Evans by two Amherst Democratic legislators: Ellen Story in the House and Stan Rosenberg in the Senate. While Evans said he hasn't asked either to endorse the bill, he's grateful to them for taking the steps to ensure that it gets a hearing.
And, by law, that's all the bill is guaranteed: a public hearing. Evans doesn't expect the Legislature to move his proposal any further; after the hearing, he said, "they don't have to do anything. They probably won't."
But he does hope the effort will spark serious, substantive conversation about ending a failed policy of prohibition and replacing it with a thoughtful system of regulation.
"I'm not trying to legalize marijuana so much as legalize discussion about it," Evans said. Right now, he said, many casual pot smokers remain in the closet; supporters of his efforts sometimes tell him they worry that if they publicly admitted to smoking, it might offend their employer, or give their ex-spouse ammunition in a custody hearing. Meanwhile, "For the most part, whenever the press covers this issue, [the coverage is] littered with puns and smirks," he said.
"It's my hope this will spark some discussion," he added. "It's my hope that some legislators will take some leadership on this issue. I want to see the silence broken. I want to see the press pick up on it."
Evans expected a range of supporters at the recent hearing, including activists, medical professionals and law enforcement representatives who advocate for reforming drug laws. While last year's Question 2 was fiercely opposed by the state's district attorneys and a number of police chiefs, Evans said he doesn't know of any organized opposition to his bill. "This isn't on their radar screen," he said.
But to those who do oppose the bill, Evans issues a challenge: to find a better alternative to the existing costly, punitive and ineffective prohibition model.
"How many more people have to be arrested and prosecuted and punished before we can hope to reach some level of success in this struggle against marijuana?" Evans asked. "And once we reach that success, how many people are going to be locked up in jail? And how much is that going to cost taxpayers, and where is that money going to come from?"
Regulation and taxation of marijuana, he said, could achieve the goals that prohibition was supposed to achieve: protecting public health and safety, reducing abuse and the crimes associated with drug trafficking. "What I'm saying—and I'm certainly not alone in this—is there's another way to approach those problems," Evans said. "And oh, by the way, there's some significant economic opportunities that might present....
"What we have to talk about now is the obsolescence of prohibition," he said. "We no longer have the luxury of chasing a failed program. We've failed; let's move on."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n933/a03.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 15 Oct 2009
Source: Valley Advocate (Easthampton, MA)
Copyright: 2009 New Mass Media
Contact: tvannah@valleyadvocate.com
Website: http://www.valleyadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1520
Author: Maureen Turner
In 1981, Dick Evans, a Northampton attorney and long-time advocate for drug law reform, drafted a marijuana legalization bill "just to see what one would look like," he said.
Evans got the bill before the state Legislature via the right to petition, a law that allows citizens to file bills. And because he found a legislator to file the bill on his behalf—improbably enough, it was Andrew Card, who went on to serve as chief of staff to George W. Bush but at the time was a progressive Republican state rep from eastern Mass.—it was guaranteed a committee hearing.
The day of the hearing, Evans said, "I loaded a few friends in the car and we drove down to Boston." When they arrived, they found the room packed with anti-drug parents' groups and other opponents. Evans offered his testimony in support of the bill, then the opponents offered theirs.
"Then the chairman of the committee looked at his watch and said, 'I think we heard enough. Let's put this to a vote. All in favor say "Aye."'
"My friends and I jumped up and said 'Aye!'" Evans said. Then the committee chair asked for those opposed to say "nay."
"The building shook," Evans recalled with a laugh. "Bang went the gavel, and that was it for 28 years."
This week, Evans once again traveled to Boston to make the case for a marijuana legalization bill he drafted, at an Oct. 14 hearing of the Joint Committee on Revenue. Like the one he filed 28 years ago, this bill calls for the regulation of commercial growing and sale of marijuana, and would impose an excise tax on the product.
While Evans does not expect the bill to fast-track into law, he does hope it will spark a healthy, honest public discussion about marijuana, in a way that was not possible back in 1981. What's changed, he said, is the growing acknowledgement of what he calls an "indisputable fact": "Marijuana in our culture is ubiquitous, and it is ineradicable. That may not have been so clear 28 years ago," Evans said.
Today, he noted, references to casual pot smoking are everywhere in pop culture. Just last month, he noted, the Today show—inspired by an article in Marie Claire magazine with the unfortunate title "Stiletto Stoners"—ran a segment in which successful middle-class women with careers and families talked about their recreational pot use. Matt Lauer may have feigned surprise, Evans said, but the stories rang true for many Americans, including those who flooded the show's website with testimonials of their own pot use.
Marijuana use crosses all kinds of boundaries in the United States, Evans argued: class, race, region, educational background. "It's something that almost everybody has in common—something the NASCAR [fans] and the liberal elites have in common," he said.
"Whether you like it or not, we're beyond the point of whether marijuana is good or bad," Evans said. "The policy makers can't recognize that for some reason." But it's time, he said, to undo the current punitive pot laws and replace them with a more practical approach.
*
Evans' "Act to Regulate and Tax the Cannabis Industry" calls for the legal sale of marijuana by licensed vendors, who, along with growers and distributors, would be overseen by a state Cannabis Control Board. The board would have seven part-time paid members appointed by the governor.
Under the bill, cannabis could be sold in quantities of one ounce, in sealed containers that identify the grower and the grade and include a warning about driving under the influence. ( The bill would have no effect on existing laws about driving while impaired. ) Buyers would have to be at least 21 years old, and sales via vending machines would be prohibited. The pot could not contain additives, or be part of a beverage or snack food.
Small-scale "backyard" growers would not be taxed or regulated, in the same way home beer brewers are not regulated by state alcohol laws. Indeed, the bill bears a strong resemblance to the laws that regulate alcohol sales in the state.
Evans' bill would also impose a steep excise tax on marijuana sales, ranging from $150 to $250 per ounce, depending on its grade ( the amount of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, it contains ).
That last provision is especially relevant given the current dismal state of Massachusetts' economy. Regulating and taxing marijuana could have significant fiscal benefits for the commonwealth, supporters contend. A much-cited 2003 study by Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron concluded that legalizing pot would save Massachusetts $120.6 million a year, the cost of arresting and prosecuting people on marijuana charges. ( That figure was often pointed to by supporters of Question 2, the 2008 ballot question that decriminalized the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. ) Miron's report also found that legalization could generate almost $17 million a year in tax revenue for the state.
"Legalization has its economic advantages and attractive prospects, but it's more than that," Evans said. "It's ending the terrible injustice of prohibition, under which people have been so brutalized for turning to cannabis, when the government is urging them to use lethal drugs like alcohol and nicotine."
The bill, he went on, would also force an honest discussion about what constitutes marijuana use, and what constitutes abuse. "Under prohibition, we necessarily conflate use and abuse," he said. But our legal system has found ways to draw the line between use and abuse, and between responsible and irresponsible use, with other legal drugs, including alcohol.
*
Like Evans, Terry Franklin of Amherst is a long-time advocate of marijuana reform, working with the UMass Cannabis Reform Coalition and organizing his town's annual Extravaganja festival.
He's also active in libertarian politics—not an unusual position for drug law reformers, many of whom make the case that the government shouldn't stick its nose into what people do in their private lives if those activities don't hurt others. Still, Franklin told the Advocate, "Regulation is the buzzword these days, especially in this state, so I don't see any way around it." And, he added, "Suffering under regulation and taxation is much better than having people taken away in chains and put in cages."
Should a marijuana taxation bill ever pass, Franklin said, "I hope the tax level ... isn't so excessive that the criminal justice industry merely turns the War on Drugs into the War on Tax Evasion." A provision allowing the growth of marijuana for personal use ( which Evans' bill includes ) "would alleviate some of the problems," Franklin noted.
While the Oct. 14 hearing focused on the bill's potential tax implications, there are broader issues to consider, Franklin added. "Marijuana use is a de facto spiritual practice for a great number of its proponents, regardless of whether they think of it in those terms or not," he said. "And while people may view any particular religion ( or all religion ) as silly and worthy of mockery, many are still accepting of religious freedom as good public policy, if only because of the effort and cost to society of engaging in religious suppression."
The bill could also force politicians into taking public positions on the issue. "That way voters can make an informed choice come election time," Franklin said.
He pointed, for example, to the heated Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Ted Kennedy. "The two top contenders, [Attorney General] Martha Coakley and [U.S. Rep.] Mike Capuano, have radically different positions," Franklin noted. "Ms. Coakley opposed [Question 2], and has worked to undermine it since passage." ( Coakley has encouraged municipalities to impose additional fines for public pot smoking, on top of the $100 civil fine for minor possession that was approved by 65 percent of voters on the November ballot question. )
Capuano, in contrast, is a co-sponsor of a national decriminalization bill, filed by Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican. "I hope the voters are paying attention," Franklin said.
*
The Oct. 14 Revenue Committee hearing ( which took place after the Advocate went to press ) was not the only opportunity for debate about the legalization bill. A Senate version of the bill is due for its own hearing before the Judiciary Committee sometime before March, Evans said.
The current bill was filed for Evans by two Amherst Democratic legislators: Ellen Story in the House and Stan Rosenberg in the Senate. While Evans said he hasn't asked either to endorse the bill, he's grateful to them for taking the steps to ensure that it gets a hearing.
And, by law, that's all the bill is guaranteed: a public hearing. Evans doesn't expect the Legislature to move his proposal any further; after the hearing, he said, "they don't have to do anything. They probably won't."
But he does hope the effort will spark serious, substantive conversation about ending a failed policy of prohibition and replacing it with a thoughtful system of regulation.
"I'm not trying to legalize marijuana so much as legalize discussion about it," Evans said. Right now, he said, many casual pot smokers remain in the closet; supporters of his efforts sometimes tell him they worry that if they publicly admitted to smoking, it might offend their employer, or give their ex-spouse ammunition in a custody hearing. Meanwhile, "For the most part, whenever the press covers this issue, [the coverage is] littered with puns and smirks," he said.
"It's my hope this will spark some discussion," he added. "It's my hope that some legislators will take some leadership on this issue. I want to see the silence broken. I want to see the press pick up on it."
Evans expected a range of supporters at the recent hearing, including activists, medical professionals and law enforcement representatives who advocate for reforming drug laws. While last year's Question 2 was fiercely opposed by the state's district attorneys and a number of police chiefs, Evans said he doesn't know of any organized opposition to his bill. "This isn't on their radar screen," he said.
But to those who do oppose the bill, Evans issues a challenge: to find a better alternative to the existing costly, punitive and ineffective prohibition model.
"How many more people have to be arrested and prosecuted and punished before we can hope to reach some level of success in this struggle against marijuana?" Evans asked. "And once we reach that success, how many people are going to be locked up in jail? And how much is that going to cost taxpayers, and where is that money going to come from?"
Regulation and taxation of marijuana, he said, could achieve the goals that prohibition was supposed to achieve: protecting public health and safety, reducing abuse and the crimes associated with drug trafficking. "What I'm saying—and I'm certainly not alone in this—is there's another way to approach those problems," Evans said. "And oh, by the way, there's some significant economic opportunities that might present....
"What we have to talk about now is the obsolescence of prohibition," he said. "We no longer have the luxury of chasing a failed program. We've failed; let's move on."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n933/a03.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 15 Oct 2009
Source: Valley Advocate (Easthampton, MA)
Copyright: 2009 New Mass Media
Contact: tvannah@valleyadvocate.com
Website: http://www.valleyadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1520
Author: Maureen Turner
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
MARIJUANA SHOULD BE DECRIMINALIZED
Open letter to the Honourable Nicholson:
I truly hope you will reconsider your research into the dangers of marijuana. You are totally the missing the point if you think that prohibition does or ever has helped people not to use drugs. Certainly education is the best tool.
There was a letter in our local newspaper from a U.S. police officer, who said he has never in his 35 years as a police officer, seen violence or crime from use of marijuana alone. Usually those issues were from alcohol or other drugs.
I am a 59-year-old woman, a functioning member of our community, a volunteer, and mother of two healthy and working adult daughters.
I have been smoking marijuana since I was 15 years old. It is the only substance that can help me with my Hep C and myalgia. I have tried the other routes, I have tried pharmaceutical drugs. I also have tried almost every street drug there is in my past, and I am an alcoholic in remission for 15 years. With the help of treatment centres and AA, I have been able to eliminate everything except marijuana.
I was put on two different pharmaceuticals for two different reasons, Interferon, and then Effexor, and both drugs have suicidal ideation and anxiety and other physical symptoms as side effects. I experienced every side effect possible from both of them, and wanted to die. Neither drug worked or did anything but make me sick! And those are legal.
Alcohol is legal. Now compute the number of lives taken because of alcohol, and the number of lives taken because of marijuana. You can't. Because people do not die from smoking marijuana alone.
I suspect that the reason marijuana is not separated from the hard drugs ( including alcohol ) is because it is too lucrative for organized crime. How else can they trade for the powders and pills?
I also suspect that politicians might be afraid of organized crime. They are bad people, and I don't blame you, but someone has to be brave enough to do the research on marijuana and health, and realize that it should be treated the same as alcohol.
If Canada were to legalize hemp and marijuana, it would be our biggest cash crop, create a million jobs, and save our economy and our environment.
There are hundreds of videos and documentaries about marijuana and hemp and none of them derogatory. The war on marijuana has to stop, you are degrading our country and its people!
What is it going to take to get through to you politicians who have blinders on, or are you getting kickbacks from crime lords? That is a harsh question yes, but I can't think of any other reason that you won't make it legal, when it is one of the most beneficial plants in the world!
Linda Kelly
Kaslo,
Email reply from the Ministerial Correspondence Unit, received on Thursday, September 17, 2009.
Subject: Correspondence from the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
The office of my colleague the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of State ( Agriculture ), has forwarded to me a copy of your correspondence concerning the decriminalization of marijuana.
The Government of Canada has no intention to decriminalize the possession of cannabis. The government is opposed to decriminalizing or legalizing illicit drugs.
If you would like to learn more about the government's National Anti-Drug Strategy, I invite you to visit the Strategy's website at www.nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca .
I appreciate having had your comments brought to my attention.
The Honourable Rob Nicholson
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n932/a02.html
Newshawk: Free Marc Emery: www.FreeMarc.ca
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 14 Oct 2009
Source: Valley Echo, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Valley Echo
Contact: editor@InvermereValleyEcho.com
Website: http://www.invermerevalleyecho.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2140
Author: Linda Kelly
I truly hope you will reconsider your research into the dangers of marijuana. You are totally the missing the point if you think that prohibition does or ever has helped people not to use drugs. Certainly education is the best tool.
There was a letter in our local newspaper from a U.S. police officer, who said he has never in his 35 years as a police officer, seen violence or crime from use of marijuana alone. Usually those issues were from alcohol or other drugs.
I am a 59-year-old woman, a functioning member of our community, a volunteer, and mother of two healthy and working adult daughters.
I have been smoking marijuana since I was 15 years old. It is the only substance that can help me with my Hep C and myalgia. I have tried the other routes, I have tried pharmaceutical drugs. I also have tried almost every street drug there is in my past, and I am an alcoholic in remission for 15 years. With the help of treatment centres and AA, I have been able to eliminate everything except marijuana.
I was put on two different pharmaceuticals for two different reasons, Interferon, and then Effexor, and both drugs have suicidal ideation and anxiety and other physical symptoms as side effects. I experienced every side effect possible from both of them, and wanted to die. Neither drug worked or did anything but make me sick! And those are legal.
Alcohol is legal. Now compute the number of lives taken because of alcohol, and the number of lives taken because of marijuana. You can't. Because people do not die from smoking marijuana alone.
I suspect that the reason marijuana is not separated from the hard drugs ( including alcohol ) is because it is too lucrative for organized crime. How else can they trade for the powders and pills?
I also suspect that politicians might be afraid of organized crime. They are bad people, and I don't blame you, but someone has to be brave enough to do the research on marijuana and health, and realize that it should be treated the same as alcohol.
If Canada were to legalize hemp and marijuana, it would be our biggest cash crop, create a million jobs, and save our economy and our environment.
There are hundreds of videos and documentaries about marijuana and hemp and none of them derogatory. The war on marijuana has to stop, you are degrading our country and its people!
What is it going to take to get through to you politicians who have blinders on, or are you getting kickbacks from crime lords? That is a harsh question yes, but I can't think of any other reason that you won't make it legal, when it is one of the most beneficial plants in the world!
Linda Kelly
Kaslo,
Email reply from the Ministerial Correspondence Unit, received on Thursday, September 17, 2009.
Subject: Correspondence from the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
The office of my colleague the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of State ( Agriculture ), has forwarded to me a copy of your correspondence concerning the decriminalization of marijuana.
The Government of Canada has no intention to decriminalize the possession of cannabis. The government is opposed to decriminalizing or legalizing illicit drugs.
If you would like to learn more about the government's National Anti-Drug Strategy, I invite you to visit the Strategy's website at www.nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca .
I appreciate having had your comments brought to my attention.
The Honourable Rob Nicholson
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n932/a02.html
Newshawk: Free Marc Emery: www.FreeMarc.ca
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 14 Oct 2009
Source: Valley Echo, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Valley Echo
Contact: editor@InvermereValleyEcho.com
Website: http://www.invermerevalleyecho.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2140
Author: Linda Kelly
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
COMMUNITY RESOURCE OFFICERS CONNECTING WITH STUDENTS
Airdrie's new community resource officers will help students of all ages become more comfortable with police officers.
Constables Robert Frizzell and Patti Reid, who started Sept. 1, will work with all of the schools in Airdrie. Frizzell will present the DARE ( Drug Abuse Resistance Education ) program to younger students and Reid will work with students in middle and high schools. "We are working one success at a time," said Reid.
"Through relationship development, we can provide assistance to families in crisis, kids who are being bullied and resolve any safety concerns in the schools, while diminishing elicit drug activity."
The vision of the community resource unit is to build bridges between youth at risk and police by providing early intervention and positive interaction. The members will work with community partners and agencies to address illicit drug use, violence, bullying and criminal behaviour by youth.
Reid said it takes five healthy adults to raise a child.
"If home life isn't so good, we need to make sure the child is connecting with teachers, aunts, older siblings, police or social services," said Reid.
"This will help them realize that there are positive or negative consequences for their actions but we can work through this. It takes a community to raise a child and we should get back to that."
Reid has spoken to the students in Bert Church, George McDougall and St. Martin de Porres high schools and so far, her presence has been well received.
"It is a positive, proactive force in our school," said George McDougall principal Mark Davidson.
"This is opening the lines of communication with the RCMP. Now when kids see something in the community that they know is wrong, they have a contact that they know and trust."
The program serves the rest of the community by making streets and neighbourhoods safer, he added.
Bernard Downey, principal of St. Martin de Porres High School, said he wants to make it clear that Reid's job is not just about talking to the "bad" kids.
"It is about sending a proactive message and teaching children how to avoid going down negative roads," he said.
Nancy Adams, principal of Bert Church High School, said she is very much looking forward to having Reid in the school.
"It will be a huge benefit because kids will no longer think of police officers as bad people," she said.
"They can see ( Reid ) as a support rather than someone to be afraid of."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n929/a03.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 09 Oct 2009
Source: Airdrie City View (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 Airdrie City View Ltd.
Contact: news@airdrie.greatwest.ca
Website: http://airdriecityview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3202
Author: Stacie Snow
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Constables Robert Frizzell and Patti Reid, who started Sept. 1, will work with all of the schools in Airdrie. Frizzell will present the DARE ( Drug Abuse Resistance Education ) program to younger students and Reid will work with students in middle and high schools. "We are working one success at a time," said Reid.
"Through relationship development, we can provide assistance to families in crisis, kids who are being bullied and resolve any safety concerns in the schools, while diminishing elicit drug activity."
The vision of the community resource unit is to build bridges between youth at risk and police by providing early intervention and positive interaction. The members will work with community partners and agencies to address illicit drug use, violence, bullying and criminal behaviour by youth.
Reid said it takes five healthy adults to raise a child.
"If home life isn't so good, we need to make sure the child is connecting with teachers, aunts, older siblings, police or social services," said Reid.
"This will help them realize that there are positive or negative consequences for their actions but we can work through this. It takes a community to raise a child and we should get back to that."
Reid has spoken to the students in Bert Church, George McDougall and St. Martin de Porres high schools and so far, her presence has been well received.
"It is a positive, proactive force in our school," said George McDougall principal Mark Davidson.
"This is opening the lines of communication with the RCMP. Now when kids see something in the community that they know is wrong, they have a contact that they know and trust."
The program serves the rest of the community by making streets and neighbourhoods safer, he added.
Bernard Downey, principal of St. Martin de Porres High School, said he wants to make it clear that Reid's job is not just about talking to the "bad" kids.
"It is about sending a proactive message and teaching children how to avoid going down negative roads," he said.
Nancy Adams, principal of Bert Church High School, said she is very much looking forward to having Reid in the school.
"It will be a huge benefit because kids will no longer think of police officers as bad people," she said.
"They can see ( Reid ) as a support rather than someone to be afraid of."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n929/a03.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Fri, 09 Oct 2009
Source: Airdrie City View (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 Airdrie City View Ltd.
Contact: news@airdrie.greatwest.ca
Website: http://airdriecityview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3202
Author: Stacie Snow
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Monday, October 12, 2009
SHOULD POLICING MARIJUANA BE THE CITY'S 'LOWEST ENFORCEMENT PRIORITY?'
The next City Commission could be asked to consider a measure that would make policing marijuana the city's "lowest enforcement priority." Would you support or oppose such a measure? Why?
David F. Anderson: I am uncomfortable with the idea of the City Commission attempting to dictate enforcement protocols to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. I am sure that every day the chief and his staff make decisions as to how limited resources can best be used to keep residents and property safe. Recent priorities, such as reducing youth violence, have been positive. The city manager, who reports to the City Commission, works closely with the chief to create a long-range plan that guides education, incorporates best practices and builds partnerships. I support their ongoing efforts.
Jimmy Dean Ayers: I would support the measure of making marijuana the lowest priority. Because alcohol is worse for you and there are more important things for the police to worry about like rape, murder, prostitution and heavy drug dealing, like crack being sold on street corners behind the old adult bookstore on Portage Street.
Birleta Bean-Hardeman: I choose not to answer right now.
Nicholas Boyd: I don't use drugs, including marijuana, and never have. But I do believe there are other priorities for Public Safety to focus on with home invasions and thefts on the rise.
Kyle Boyer: I support this measure, and would encourage even further lenience on the substance. It's less harmful than alcohol ( if it's even harmful at all ), and we should not be telling adults that they can't enjoy a substance that is medically beneficial and would be a boon for artists and anyone else who uses creativity in their daily life. It will keep our prisons less crowded, ultimately saving our society money.
Don Cooney: Of course I will want to see the wording of the proposal. Our present marijuana laws are irrational. They are filling our jails, causing great harm to many incarcerated people, wasting huge amounts of much-needed taxpayer dollars. There is a better way and other communities have found it. All people must act responsibly and should be held accountable for their actions. Incarceration is not the answer to this problem.
Aaron Davis: I think the police have enough to do without having to worry about weed. The police should concentrate on murder, rape and robbery.
Bobby Hopewell: The use and distribution of marijuana is illegal under state and federal law. If the penalties for violating such laws are to be changed, they should be amended at the state and federal level, where a thorough public debate on this issue should occur. This would be consistent with the recent change by the citizens of Michigan relating to medical marijuana. Patchwork changes in drug enforcement policies at the local level are likely to cause significant challenges. For example, because drug enforcement efforts in our city and county are conducted across jurisdictional borders, inconsistent approaches throughout the county would lead to inconsistent justice outcomes in one community versus the other. Any changes to drug enforcement laws and policies should start at the state level, after a thorough debate, so that all such laws are enforced in a uniform manner in all local communities.
Michael Kilbourne: Right now marijuana enforcement should be less of a priority than the enforcement of other drug related issues. Let's not drain our resources on one issue, let's focus on all the issues together. We have to support our police to crack down on the drug enterprises in Kalamazoo. There is an abundance of crack, heroin, meth, and others drugs ruling our communities and ruining lives. Let's focus on all of these problems and do something about them.
Terry L. Kuseske: I will need to understand the context which the City Commission would be asked to consider this measure. Chief Hadley is charged with the enforcement of local and state laws. The City Commission must not put itself in the position of micro-managing that enforcement.
Hannah J. McKinney: The chief and his staff determine enforcement priorities as they work to keep the city and its residents safe and secure. I do not know how a city commission could pass such a measure that would be enforceable or what weight it would have in relation to state and federal law.
Barbara Hamilton Miller: I would oppose such a measure. Substance abuse is a serious issue in our society. Our Public Safety Department is charged with upholding our laws. When they come upon a crime or suspect illegal activity, they can't turn away because they see a marijuana infraction as a low priority.
Stephanie Moore: Support. Lowering the priority of enforcement will allow our law enforcement representatives to focus on other issues in our community such as violence among our youth, major drug enforcement and the maintenance of safe neighborhoods for residents.
Kai Phillips: Again, laws are laws. I may not personally agree with the current laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, however, we should not, and cannot, encourage Public Safety officers to ignore laws. Also, because recreational use of marijuana is not legal in Michigan or the United States, this creates a conflict with other law-enforcement agencies which then use our tax dollars to enforce them. For instance, in California, marijuana use is legal -- however, federal authorities then do raids which cost much more than local police enforcing marijuana laws. Since a recreational use of marijuana is not legal in Michigan, this would also create issues in the sale and distribution of marijuana. So, in conclusion, I would have to oppose this measure and refer it's supporters to our state or federal lawmakers.
Anna Schmitt: I would support a measure in which the policing of marijuana would be a low enforcement priority. Presently, Kalamazoo has larger pressing issues. Targeting the possession of marijuana uses a good amount of our city's time and money. Money being used for courts and jail cells regarding marijuana could instead be used in preventing the robberies that have increased over the last year.
Louis Cloise Stocking: In 2008 Kalamazoo Public Safety statistics show there were about 1,600 controlled-substance arrests here and that about 60 percent of those involved marijuana. Almost 90 percent of those charges were misdemeanors. This measure would benefit the financial state of Kalamazoo and provide time for officers to ensure safety. For more information on this amendment visit www.KzooCPCL.org.
Karen Wellman: The candidate did not respond to the Gazette questionnaire.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n926/a02.html
Newshawk: Lowest Law Enforcement Priority www.drugsense.org/caip#summary
Votes: 0
Webpage: http://drugsense.org/url/OIRBV6Xz
Pubdate: Sun, 11 Oct 2009
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette (MI)
Copyright: 2009 Kalamazoo Gazette
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/vggfBDch
Website: http://www.mlive.com/kalamazoo/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/588
Cited: Kalamazoo Coalition for Pragmatic Cannabis Laws http://www.kzoocpcl.org/
David F. Anderson: I am uncomfortable with the idea of the City Commission attempting to dictate enforcement protocols to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. I am sure that every day the chief and his staff make decisions as to how limited resources can best be used to keep residents and property safe. Recent priorities, such as reducing youth violence, have been positive. The city manager, who reports to the City Commission, works closely with the chief to create a long-range plan that guides education, incorporates best practices and builds partnerships. I support their ongoing efforts.
Jimmy Dean Ayers: I would support the measure of making marijuana the lowest priority. Because alcohol is worse for you and there are more important things for the police to worry about like rape, murder, prostitution and heavy drug dealing, like crack being sold on street corners behind the old adult bookstore on Portage Street.
Birleta Bean-Hardeman: I choose not to answer right now.
Nicholas Boyd: I don't use drugs, including marijuana, and never have. But I do believe there are other priorities for Public Safety to focus on with home invasions and thefts on the rise.
Kyle Boyer: I support this measure, and would encourage even further lenience on the substance. It's less harmful than alcohol ( if it's even harmful at all ), and we should not be telling adults that they can't enjoy a substance that is medically beneficial and would be a boon for artists and anyone else who uses creativity in their daily life. It will keep our prisons less crowded, ultimately saving our society money.
Don Cooney: Of course I will want to see the wording of the proposal. Our present marijuana laws are irrational. They are filling our jails, causing great harm to many incarcerated people, wasting huge amounts of much-needed taxpayer dollars. There is a better way and other communities have found it. All people must act responsibly and should be held accountable for their actions. Incarceration is not the answer to this problem.
Aaron Davis: I think the police have enough to do without having to worry about weed. The police should concentrate on murder, rape and robbery.
Bobby Hopewell: The use and distribution of marijuana is illegal under state and federal law. If the penalties for violating such laws are to be changed, they should be amended at the state and federal level, where a thorough public debate on this issue should occur. This would be consistent with the recent change by the citizens of Michigan relating to medical marijuana. Patchwork changes in drug enforcement policies at the local level are likely to cause significant challenges. For example, because drug enforcement efforts in our city and county are conducted across jurisdictional borders, inconsistent approaches throughout the county would lead to inconsistent justice outcomes in one community versus the other. Any changes to drug enforcement laws and policies should start at the state level, after a thorough debate, so that all such laws are enforced in a uniform manner in all local communities.
Michael Kilbourne: Right now marijuana enforcement should be less of a priority than the enforcement of other drug related issues. Let's not drain our resources on one issue, let's focus on all the issues together. We have to support our police to crack down on the drug enterprises in Kalamazoo. There is an abundance of crack, heroin, meth, and others drugs ruling our communities and ruining lives. Let's focus on all of these problems and do something about them.
Terry L. Kuseske: I will need to understand the context which the City Commission would be asked to consider this measure. Chief Hadley is charged with the enforcement of local and state laws. The City Commission must not put itself in the position of micro-managing that enforcement.
Hannah J. McKinney: The chief and his staff determine enforcement priorities as they work to keep the city and its residents safe and secure. I do not know how a city commission could pass such a measure that would be enforceable or what weight it would have in relation to state and federal law.
Barbara Hamilton Miller: I would oppose such a measure. Substance abuse is a serious issue in our society. Our Public Safety Department is charged with upholding our laws. When they come upon a crime or suspect illegal activity, they can't turn away because they see a marijuana infraction as a low priority.
Stephanie Moore: Support. Lowering the priority of enforcement will allow our law enforcement representatives to focus on other issues in our community such as violence among our youth, major drug enforcement and the maintenance of safe neighborhoods for residents.
Kai Phillips: Again, laws are laws. I may not personally agree with the current laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, however, we should not, and cannot, encourage Public Safety officers to ignore laws. Also, because recreational use of marijuana is not legal in Michigan or the United States, this creates a conflict with other law-enforcement agencies which then use our tax dollars to enforce them. For instance, in California, marijuana use is legal -- however, federal authorities then do raids which cost much more than local police enforcing marijuana laws. Since a recreational use of marijuana is not legal in Michigan, this would also create issues in the sale and distribution of marijuana. So, in conclusion, I would have to oppose this measure and refer it's supporters to our state or federal lawmakers.
Anna Schmitt: I would support a measure in which the policing of marijuana would be a low enforcement priority. Presently, Kalamazoo has larger pressing issues. Targeting the possession of marijuana uses a good amount of our city's time and money. Money being used for courts and jail cells regarding marijuana could instead be used in preventing the robberies that have increased over the last year.
Louis Cloise Stocking: In 2008 Kalamazoo Public Safety statistics show there were about 1,600 controlled-substance arrests here and that about 60 percent of those involved marijuana. Almost 90 percent of those charges were misdemeanors. This measure would benefit the financial state of Kalamazoo and provide time for officers to ensure safety. For more information on this amendment visit www.KzooCPCL.org.
Karen Wellman: The candidate did not respond to the Gazette questionnaire.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n926/a02.html
Newshawk: Lowest Law Enforcement Priority www.drugsense.org/caip#summary
Votes: 0
Webpage: http://drugsense.org/url/OIRBV6Xz
Pubdate: Sun, 11 Oct 2009
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette (MI)
Copyright: 2009 Kalamazoo Gazette
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/vggfBDch
Website: http://www.mlive.com/kalamazoo/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/588
Cited: Kalamazoo Coalition for Pragmatic Cannabis Laws http://www.kzoocpcl.org/
Sunday, October 11, 2009
DRUG SMUGGLERS TAKE TO AIR
Helicopters Becoming Craft Of Choice For Cross-border Gangs
A $50,000 payday looked easy for 29-year-old Jeremy Snow of Kelowna.
With a little helicopter training, he says, he was recruited to fly B.C. bud into the U.S. and hook up with a cocaine connection for the return trip to Canada.
He never got his money.
Shortly after taking off from Kelowna's Okanagan Mountain Helicopters without a licence, Snow was arrested when he touched down in a forest in northern Idaho with 80 kilograms of marijuana. He was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle earlier this month to just under four years in jail for his part in a cross-border drug-smuggling ring.
Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office, told The Province a report was filed into the case record detailing the ease with which B.C. pilots are trained for drug-smuggling runs. Helicopter flight-school operators don't check students' backgrounds, and criminal-record checks aren't required for licence approval.
Smuggling by chopper is a "very serious" border-integrity and public-safety issue, Langlie said.
Sometimes the pilot trainees drop out of school once they know just enough to handle the machines. Johannes Vates, chief flight instructor at Okanagan Mountain Helicopters, said Snow raised no suspicions, even when he dropped out several weeks before completing his four-month, basic-training course.
Sam Lindsay-Brown, 24, another B.C. pilot, was allegedly involved in the same ring as Snow. He was arrested in February after landing near Spokane with a load of marijuana and ecstasy. Four days later he hung himself in the Spokane County jail.
Lindsay-Brown started training at Chinook Helicopters in Abbotsford in December 2007. Like Vates, Chinook Helicopters owner Cathy Press says little can be done to check on students. An employee of the school, who asked not to be named, said: "Sam was super. None of the other students could believe he was involved in smuggling." Michael Chettleburgh, an author and expert on drug crime, told The Province choppers are increasingly being used for smuggling by gangs that are flush with cash from a $6-billion-to-$8-billion annual cash crop of B.C. bud, which is traded for cocaine, heroin and guns. "The helicopter is a growing tool for gangs," Chettleburgh said. "We're standing there with our pants around our ankles saying, 'We'd better get some more regulations.' It's organized crime versus disorganized police and authorities like Transport Canada." There is a strong appetite for B.C. bud in the U.S., said RCMP Cpl. Richard De Jong, adding grow-ops "continue to be the No. 1 source of income for organized crime" in B.C.
Chettleburgh said crime groups see the border as "very porous" and only lose about two per cent of total narcotic shipments to enforcement. He noted crime groups are also increasingly accessing northern B.C. communities by chopper, and trying to cultivate more domestic customers outside the Lower Mainland.
The employee said students, mostly males aged 20 to 30, are warned not to get sucked into the "easy money" of drug-smuggling schemes. Nevertheless, muscular, tattooed students who might appear to come from the drug culture are not turned away, she said.
The employee said it's well known in the flight-school community that the eldest of the notorious Bacon gang brothers, Jonathan, was trained at B.C. Helicopters in Langley.
An employee at B.C. Helicopters, who asked not to be named citing security concerns, told The Province that Jonathan Bacon enrolled before new owner Mischa Gelb took over several years ago. Bacon wasn't up for the serious study involved, and quickly dropped out, the employee said. "There has been a thing with shady characters that come through and don't last," he said.
Even when staff have strong suspicions in such cases, "with rights and privacy laws, it's hard to do a background check," the employee said. "We have a joke about 'my-rich-uncle' students. A 20-year-old drives up in the [Cadillac] Escalade and comes through the door and pays cash. Can we deny them? There's no laws and rules in place." Asked what officials are doing about it, Rod Nelson of Transport Canada said: "Transport Canada works with the RCMP when it suspects that aircraft are being used in criminal activities . . . if any violations are found, we can order immediate corrective action or take appropriate punitive actions." But he conceded: "Having a clean criminal record is not a requirement for obtaining a pilot's licence."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n927/a09.html
Newshawk: CMAP http://www.mapinc.org/cmap
Votes: 0
Webpage: http://www.theprovince.com/news/news/2091537/story.html
Pubdate: Sun, 11 Oct 2009
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Sam Cooper, The Province
A $50,000 payday looked easy for 29-year-old Jeremy Snow of Kelowna.
With a little helicopter training, he says, he was recruited to fly B.C. bud into the U.S. and hook up with a cocaine connection for the return trip to Canada.
He never got his money.
Shortly after taking off from Kelowna's Okanagan Mountain Helicopters without a licence, Snow was arrested when he touched down in a forest in northern Idaho with 80 kilograms of marijuana. He was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle earlier this month to just under four years in jail for his part in a cross-border drug-smuggling ring.
Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office, told The Province a report was filed into the case record detailing the ease with which B.C. pilots are trained for drug-smuggling runs. Helicopter flight-school operators don't check students' backgrounds, and criminal-record checks aren't required for licence approval.
Smuggling by chopper is a "very serious" border-integrity and public-safety issue, Langlie said.
Sometimes the pilot trainees drop out of school once they know just enough to handle the machines. Johannes Vates, chief flight instructor at Okanagan Mountain Helicopters, said Snow raised no suspicions, even when he dropped out several weeks before completing his four-month, basic-training course.
Sam Lindsay-Brown, 24, another B.C. pilot, was allegedly involved in the same ring as Snow. He was arrested in February after landing near Spokane with a load of marijuana and ecstasy. Four days later he hung himself in the Spokane County jail.
Lindsay-Brown started training at Chinook Helicopters in Abbotsford in December 2007. Like Vates, Chinook Helicopters owner Cathy Press says little can be done to check on students. An employee of the school, who asked not to be named, said: "Sam was super. None of the other students could believe he was involved in smuggling." Michael Chettleburgh, an author and expert on drug crime, told The Province choppers are increasingly being used for smuggling by gangs that are flush with cash from a $6-billion-to-$8-billion annual cash crop of B.C. bud, which is traded for cocaine, heroin and guns. "The helicopter is a growing tool for gangs," Chettleburgh said. "We're standing there with our pants around our ankles saying, 'We'd better get some more regulations.' It's organized crime versus disorganized police and authorities like Transport Canada." There is a strong appetite for B.C. bud in the U.S., said RCMP Cpl. Richard De Jong, adding grow-ops "continue to be the No. 1 source of income for organized crime" in B.C.
Chettleburgh said crime groups see the border as "very porous" and only lose about two per cent of total narcotic shipments to enforcement. He noted crime groups are also increasingly accessing northern B.C. communities by chopper, and trying to cultivate more domestic customers outside the Lower Mainland.
The employee said students, mostly males aged 20 to 30, are warned not to get sucked into the "easy money" of drug-smuggling schemes. Nevertheless, muscular, tattooed students who might appear to come from the drug culture are not turned away, she said.
The employee said it's well known in the flight-school community that the eldest of the notorious Bacon gang brothers, Jonathan, was trained at B.C. Helicopters in Langley.
An employee at B.C. Helicopters, who asked not to be named citing security concerns, told The Province that Jonathan Bacon enrolled before new owner Mischa Gelb took over several years ago. Bacon wasn't up for the serious study involved, and quickly dropped out, the employee said. "There has been a thing with shady characters that come through and don't last," he said.
Even when staff have strong suspicions in such cases, "with rights and privacy laws, it's hard to do a background check," the employee said. "We have a joke about 'my-rich-uncle' students. A 20-year-old drives up in the [Cadillac] Escalade and comes through the door and pays cash. Can we deny them? There's no laws and rules in place." Asked what officials are doing about it, Rod Nelson of Transport Canada said: "Transport Canada works with the RCMP when it suspects that aircraft are being used in criminal activities . . . if any violations are found, we can order immediate corrective action or take appropriate punitive actions." But he conceded: "Having a clean criminal record is not a requirement for obtaining a pilot's licence."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n927/a09.html
Newshawk: CMAP http://www.mapinc.org/cmap
Votes: 0
Webpage: http://www.theprovince.com/news/news/2091537/story.html
Pubdate: Sun, 11 Oct 2009
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Sam Cooper, The Province
Saturday, October 10, 2009
LOCAL ATTORNEY DIES IN MEXICO A FONDLY REMEMBERED FUGITIVE
Montezuma Man Known for Legal Prowess Led Community
SUMMIT COUNTY - A well-respected criminal defense attorney from Montezuma died recently while on the lam in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Facing likely prison time for a heavy stack of drug charges, James Michael "JT" Tyler jumped bail in November 2006. He died in his sleep Oct. 2 at age 59.
Tyler was a large, boisterous man - a gifted attorney and a compassionate, assertive community leader. He moved to Summit County in the late 1970s after graduating from Creighton School of Law in Omaha, Neb.
Delbert Ewoldt, who served as Summit County Sheriff from 1983 to 1995, said Tyler's talent with the law had an effect on the department, ensuring "that we crossed the t's and dotted the i's."
"Even though we didn't see eye to eye on some issues, he certainly was a formidable opponent," said Ewoldt, who is now the Sedgwick County Sheriff.
He said he got to know Tyler both personally and professionally.
"He was the first man to call me at my house and congratulate me on winning the election," he said. "I'll never forget that."
Breckenridge attorney Jay Bauer said Tyler was skilled at "thinking outside the book."
"I've been in court with him on many occasions where he would quote some principal of law as though it had come directly from the Bible, when in fact real principle of law was different - but he spoke with such enthusiasm that it often passed," Bauer said.
Personal convictions and hard time Mountain Gazette editor John Fayhee, formerly of the Summit Daily, said Tyler was a member of what's become "sort of a dying Colorado breed."
"A lot of people in Montana and Wyoming are real libertarian, but they're rednecks," Fayhee said. "He was a liberal libertarian. He loved to party. He believed in liberal causes."
He said Tyler wasn't shy with his opinions regarding illegal drugs.
"The government makes it policy to come down hard on lawyers who defend drug clients," he said.
Tyler's legal career took a nosedive after he was indicted with 16 others in December 1992 for his role in a drug dealing ring.
He lost his license to practice law and went to prison for a few years. He lived at a halfway house in Boulder but eventually returned to Montezuma.
"I think he didn't drink anymore, tried to get healthy" Fayhee said. "He didn't look healthy."
Monte McClenahan, Tyler's bail bondsman with Alpine Bail Bonds, said that when he bailed Tyler out in 2006, he had a feeling Tyler might not show up for court.
"He wouldn't have lived through prison because of his health condition," said bail bondsman Monte McClenahan, adding that Tyler was on oxygen when he bailed him out on a $10,000 bond.
Tyler was facing charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, schedule II controlled substances ( which can include opiates and cocaine ) and schedule IV controlled substances ( which can include prescription stimulants and depressants ), as well as distribution of a schedule I controlled substance ( which can include LSD and heroin ).
"He'd served time. That's why the arrest in November 2006 was going to be the death nail in his coffin, because he'd already been to prison," McClenahan said.
He said he recalls an apology from the legal system for not treating Tyler more severely after his conviction in the early 90s.
"Although he was a drug dealer and a criminal, everybody liked him," McClenahan said.
He became choked up while describing a troy ounce of silver Tyler gave him for Christmas one year.
Fayhee said he's unsure whether anyone knew exactly where Tyler was living the past three years, but that "everybody would have rather gone to jail themselves than told the feds where they suspected he was."
"He successfully fled the country, which is cool. There are a lot of us who have that fantasy," he said.
A Montezuma hero In the years before Tyler's first arrest, he served as a Montezuma trustee and helped protect the town against development, said Montezuma Mayor Steve Hornback.
"We've been here since the 1880s. In the early 1980s, the town had a reincarnation," Hornback said. "Many people saw him as one of the founding fathers of the town."
Tyler also sponsored a community softball team. He planted aspen trees along his property, took care of his neighbors' pets and supported young musicians across the county.
"He was just one of those personalities you couldn't not love," said a neighbor who asked not to be identified. "We had a fire at our house up here and there was nowhere to put our stuff. He let us put it all in his house."
Fayhee said Tyler couldn't have lived anywhere in Summit County but Montezuma - or perhaps Heeney.
"If he would have lived in Breckenridge, he would have eventually just torn a few buildings down or something," he said. "He wouldn't have fit with the daintiness of Breckenridge."
Summit Daily founder and 1989 editor Curtis Robinson said Tyler was his neighbor when he moved to Montezuma.
"At that time he was really almost a mythological character," he said. "I've quoted him many, many times through the years."
He said Tyler's law office slogan was "Reasonable doubt for a reasonable fee."
Tyler's older brother Steve, 62, who lives in Nebraska, said he had a big heart and would often help people who needed legal counsel but couldn't afford it.
He said his brother spoke at such places as the University of Denver "on the merits of legalizing marijuana."
"He's always been kind of the opposite of me, I think. Just because I was ultra-conservative he went the other route," he said.
Escape to Mexico McClenahan said Tyler's not the first person he's bailed out who left the country.
"He knew when he went to Mexico he couldn't come back," he said.
Steve Tyler said he's seen James Tyler perhaps twice in the past eight years. The family sometimes helped James when he needed financial support.
"I know he's had some legal problems and everything," Steve Tyler said. "It wasn't like Jim to tell us about his problems, just that he needed help."
He said the last he'd heard, his brother was "basically just working at a golf course." Health problems with the heart and lungs made it difficult for James Tyler to work.
His remains have been cremated and are to stay in Mexico.
"Friends in Mexico are scattering the ashes along the beach," he said.
Hornback said he spoke with the U.S. consulate on the telephone.
"The guy in Mazatlan said he'd been in Mexico working for the U.S. government 15 years, dealing with Americans dying in Mexico daily" and had never had so many people come to his office asking about an American, he said.
"People were coming in saying, 'I haven't seen this guy in a couple days,'" Hornback said.
In Montezuma, a memorial for James Tyler is being planned.
Steve Tyler said a plaque is to be placed in the town inscribed: "In memory of Jim Tyler, who loved the mountains, life, family, friends, neighbors - and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for any of them."
Hornback said the plaque will likely be near a memorial for Dan "Dano" Dantes, another well-loved and respected Montezuma character who passed away in May.
Fayhee said the "Montezuma boys" were a self-sufficient group who took direct action when necessary - whether procuring the town's first fire hydrant or standing against development attempts by a local ski resort.
"Colorado just doesn't have much of these guys anymore," he said. "Back in those days, these guys - they were active in their beliefs; they didn't just gripe."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n927/a04.html
Newshawk: The GCW
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 11 Oct 2009
Source: Summit Daily News (CO)
Copyright: 2009 Summit Daily News
Contact: http://apps.summitdaily.com/forms/letter/index.php
Website: http://www.summitdaily.com/home.php
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/587
Author: Robert Allen
SUMMIT COUNTY - A well-respected criminal defense attorney from Montezuma died recently while on the lam in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Facing likely prison time for a heavy stack of drug charges, James Michael "JT" Tyler jumped bail in November 2006. He died in his sleep Oct. 2 at age 59.
Tyler was a large, boisterous man - a gifted attorney and a compassionate, assertive community leader. He moved to Summit County in the late 1970s after graduating from Creighton School of Law in Omaha, Neb.
Delbert Ewoldt, who served as Summit County Sheriff from 1983 to 1995, said Tyler's talent with the law had an effect on the department, ensuring "that we crossed the t's and dotted the i's."
"Even though we didn't see eye to eye on some issues, he certainly was a formidable opponent," said Ewoldt, who is now the Sedgwick County Sheriff.
He said he got to know Tyler both personally and professionally.
"He was the first man to call me at my house and congratulate me on winning the election," he said. "I'll never forget that."
Breckenridge attorney Jay Bauer said Tyler was skilled at "thinking outside the book."
"I've been in court with him on many occasions where he would quote some principal of law as though it had come directly from the Bible, when in fact real principle of law was different - but he spoke with such enthusiasm that it often passed," Bauer said.
Personal convictions and hard time Mountain Gazette editor John Fayhee, formerly of the Summit Daily, said Tyler was a member of what's become "sort of a dying Colorado breed."
"A lot of people in Montana and Wyoming are real libertarian, but they're rednecks," Fayhee said. "He was a liberal libertarian. He loved to party. He believed in liberal causes."
He said Tyler wasn't shy with his opinions regarding illegal drugs.
"The government makes it policy to come down hard on lawyers who defend drug clients," he said.
Tyler's legal career took a nosedive after he was indicted with 16 others in December 1992 for his role in a drug dealing ring.
He lost his license to practice law and went to prison for a few years. He lived at a halfway house in Boulder but eventually returned to Montezuma.
"I think he didn't drink anymore, tried to get healthy" Fayhee said. "He didn't look healthy."
Monte McClenahan, Tyler's bail bondsman with Alpine Bail Bonds, said that when he bailed Tyler out in 2006, he had a feeling Tyler might not show up for court.
"He wouldn't have lived through prison because of his health condition," said bail bondsman Monte McClenahan, adding that Tyler was on oxygen when he bailed him out on a $10,000 bond.
Tyler was facing charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, schedule II controlled substances ( which can include opiates and cocaine ) and schedule IV controlled substances ( which can include prescription stimulants and depressants ), as well as distribution of a schedule I controlled substance ( which can include LSD and heroin ).
"He'd served time. That's why the arrest in November 2006 was going to be the death nail in his coffin, because he'd already been to prison," McClenahan said.
He said he recalls an apology from the legal system for not treating Tyler more severely after his conviction in the early 90s.
"Although he was a drug dealer and a criminal, everybody liked him," McClenahan said.
He became choked up while describing a troy ounce of silver Tyler gave him for Christmas one year.
Fayhee said he's unsure whether anyone knew exactly where Tyler was living the past three years, but that "everybody would have rather gone to jail themselves than told the feds where they suspected he was."
"He successfully fled the country, which is cool. There are a lot of us who have that fantasy," he said.
A Montezuma hero In the years before Tyler's first arrest, he served as a Montezuma trustee and helped protect the town against development, said Montezuma Mayor Steve Hornback.
"We've been here since the 1880s. In the early 1980s, the town had a reincarnation," Hornback said. "Many people saw him as one of the founding fathers of the town."
Tyler also sponsored a community softball team. He planted aspen trees along his property, took care of his neighbors' pets and supported young musicians across the county.
"He was just one of those personalities you couldn't not love," said a neighbor who asked not to be identified. "We had a fire at our house up here and there was nowhere to put our stuff. He let us put it all in his house."
Fayhee said Tyler couldn't have lived anywhere in Summit County but Montezuma - or perhaps Heeney.
"If he would have lived in Breckenridge, he would have eventually just torn a few buildings down or something," he said. "He wouldn't have fit with the daintiness of Breckenridge."
Summit Daily founder and 1989 editor Curtis Robinson said Tyler was his neighbor when he moved to Montezuma.
"At that time he was really almost a mythological character," he said. "I've quoted him many, many times through the years."
He said Tyler's law office slogan was "Reasonable doubt for a reasonable fee."
Tyler's older brother Steve, 62, who lives in Nebraska, said he had a big heart and would often help people who needed legal counsel but couldn't afford it.
He said his brother spoke at such places as the University of Denver "on the merits of legalizing marijuana."
"He's always been kind of the opposite of me, I think. Just because I was ultra-conservative he went the other route," he said.
Escape to Mexico McClenahan said Tyler's not the first person he's bailed out who left the country.
"He knew when he went to Mexico he couldn't come back," he said.
Steve Tyler said he's seen James Tyler perhaps twice in the past eight years. The family sometimes helped James when he needed financial support.
"I know he's had some legal problems and everything," Steve Tyler said. "It wasn't like Jim to tell us about his problems, just that he needed help."
He said the last he'd heard, his brother was "basically just working at a golf course." Health problems with the heart and lungs made it difficult for James Tyler to work.
His remains have been cremated and are to stay in Mexico.
"Friends in Mexico are scattering the ashes along the beach," he said.
Hornback said he spoke with the U.S. consulate on the telephone.
"The guy in Mazatlan said he'd been in Mexico working for the U.S. government 15 years, dealing with Americans dying in Mexico daily" and had never had so many people come to his office asking about an American, he said.
"People were coming in saying, 'I haven't seen this guy in a couple days,'" Hornback said.
In Montezuma, a memorial for James Tyler is being planned.
Steve Tyler said a plaque is to be placed in the town inscribed: "In memory of Jim Tyler, who loved the mountains, life, family, friends, neighbors - and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for any of them."
Hornback said the plaque will likely be near a memorial for Dan "Dano" Dantes, another well-loved and respected Montezuma character who passed away in May.
Fayhee said the "Montezuma boys" were a self-sufficient group who took direct action when necessary - whether procuring the town's first fire hydrant or standing against development attempts by a local ski resort.
"Colorado just doesn't have much of these guys anymore," he said. "Back in those days, these guys - they were active in their beliefs; they didn't just gripe."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n927/a04.html
Newshawk: The GCW
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 11 Oct 2009
Source: Summit Daily News (CO)
Copyright: 2009 Summit Daily News
Contact: http://apps.summitdaily.com/forms/letter/index.php
Website: http://www.summitdaily.com/home.php
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/587
Author: Robert Allen
Friday, October 09, 2009
NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAM SEEING 100% COMPLIANCE
How are needle drug users better than your average library user? In Fort McMurray, they always return their borrowed needles.
The local needle exchange program has completed its six-month evaluation and has shown a 100% return rate. Since the Wood Buffalo HIV and AIDS Society opened the site, the program has handed out over 700 needles as well as other harm reduction supplies.
Nor'Ali McDaniel, needle exchange program co-ordinator, said the exchange program gives users a proper place to dispose of used needles in a way that they don't end up in places like neighbourhood parks.
"There's always controversy when needle exchange programs open that we're just handing out needles and not doing anything to collect them," said McDaniel. "We always tell our clients when they come in, 'Here's your sharps container, please bring it back to us.' We also work with some of the camps as well, and they bring ( the needles ) back to us so what it means is the needles we are distributing are not being accounted for in the debris found on the streets."
The goal of the needle exchange program is to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases like HIV in drug users by providing them with clean needles that don't need to be shared. The program also has the benefit of giving drug users access to a place that will help them quit their habit.
"Quite often needle exchange programs are the first place where people who use drugs develop a sense of trust with people in the service industry," McDaniel said. "Coming to see us face-to-face on a weekly basis just builds the trust so they know there's someone there not judging them who can help them when they're ready to get on track at their own pace and continue with their lives."
The needle exchange program also provides items that increase sanitation in the use of injection drugs like filters, tourniquets, single-use cookers and alcohol swabs.
The Fort McMurray program is based on similar long-running programs in other Alberta cities like Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie.
Future plans of the local organization include the development of needle disposal boxes. The boxes would look and operate like mail boxes in areas where drug users are known to spend time and act as a location for needle disposal.
"The issue of needles has been ignored in Fort McMurray for a long time. They have been found in our parks, our streets and our neighbourhoods and it's really an issue of addressing it and no longer ignoring it," said McDaniel. "Needle exchanges are not the only place where drug users or diabetics are getting their syringes, but we want to make sure there is a place for them to be disposed of correctly rather than out on the street and in the parks."
For more information on the local needle exchange program, visit the centre above Campbell's Music on Franklin Avenue or on their website at ww.wbhas.ca.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n918/a05.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 07 Oct 2009
Source: Fort McMurray Today (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 Osprey Media
Contact: http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/feedback1/LetterToEditor.aspx
Website: http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1012
Author: Roland Cilliers, Today Staff
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)
The local needle exchange program has completed its six-month evaluation and has shown a 100% return rate. Since the Wood Buffalo HIV and AIDS Society opened the site, the program has handed out over 700 needles as well as other harm reduction supplies.
Nor'Ali McDaniel, needle exchange program co-ordinator, said the exchange program gives users a proper place to dispose of used needles in a way that they don't end up in places like neighbourhood parks.
"There's always controversy when needle exchange programs open that we're just handing out needles and not doing anything to collect them," said McDaniel. "We always tell our clients when they come in, 'Here's your sharps container, please bring it back to us.' We also work with some of the camps as well, and they bring ( the needles ) back to us so what it means is the needles we are distributing are not being accounted for in the debris found on the streets."
The goal of the needle exchange program is to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases like HIV in drug users by providing them with clean needles that don't need to be shared. The program also has the benefit of giving drug users access to a place that will help them quit their habit.
"Quite often needle exchange programs are the first place where people who use drugs develop a sense of trust with people in the service industry," McDaniel said. "Coming to see us face-to-face on a weekly basis just builds the trust so they know there's someone there not judging them who can help them when they're ready to get on track at their own pace and continue with their lives."
The needle exchange program also provides items that increase sanitation in the use of injection drugs like filters, tourniquets, single-use cookers and alcohol swabs.
The Fort McMurray program is based on similar long-running programs in other Alberta cities like Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie.
Future plans of the local organization include the development of needle disposal boxes. The boxes would look and operate like mail boxes in areas where drug users are known to spend time and act as a location for needle disposal.
"The issue of needles has been ignored in Fort McMurray for a long time. They have been found in our parks, our streets and our neighbourhoods and it's really an issue of addressing it and no longer ignoring it," said McDaniel. "Needle exchanges are not the only place where drug users or diabetics are getting their syringes, but we want to make sure there is a place for them to be disposed of correctly rather than out on the street and in the parks."
For more information on the local needle exchange program, visit the centre above Campbell's Music on Franklin Avenue or on their website at ww.wbhas.ca.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n918/a05.html
Newshawk: Herb
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 07 Oct 2009
Source: Fort McMurray Today (CN AB)
Copyright: 2009 Osprey Media
Contact: http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/feedback1/LetterToEditor.aspx
Website: http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1012
Author: Roland Cilliers, Today Staff
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)
Thursday, October 08, 2009
BILL MAY LEGALIZE MEDICINAL WEED
CO-Authored by 2 Wisconsin Lawmakers, Legislation Follows Lead of 14 Other States
After last weekend's Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival protest on the Capitol steps brought attention to the issue of medical marijuana, two Wisconsin Democrats have proposed legislation that would legalize cannabis for medical purposes in the state.
According to a statement from advocacy group Is My Medicine Legal Yet?, Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, are the co-authors of the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, which if passed would allow terminally or seriously ill patients to grow or have someone else grow a small amount of cannabis for medical use.
Rickert is a Mondovi, Wis., citizen suffering from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome who was never given federal government-issued joints for medical use, according to the statement.
Michigan voters approved a similar initiative in a statewide referendum, which is the basis for the Wisconsin bill, said Gary Storck, spokesperson for IMMLY. The bill is the early stages of development, currently gaining co-sponsorships from Wisconsin senators and representatives.
Storck said the legislation covers a broad base of debilitating illnesses and he named post-traumatic stress disorder as a prominent target of the bill.
"It's been known for many years that cannabis is a potent remedy for the symptoms of PTSD," Storck said. "It helps them sleep and wean themselves off of alcohol and other substances that may be preventing them from readjusting."
Stork said he hopes the inclusion of PTSD as a debilitating condition will compel the state Legislature to give more consideration to the bill. He also said medical marijuana dispensaries more tightly regulated than those found in California would be allowed for patients with a state-issued ID card.
Storck also cited President Barack Obama's administration's decision not to interfere with state-sponsored cannabis dispensaries, an overridden veto in Rhode Island allowing dispensaries and the lack of hostility from Wisconsin citizens and legislators as factors that have made the issue more mainstream.
According to Erpenbach spokesperson Julie Laundrie, the issue has become more legitimate around the country in the past years; 13 states now allow the use of medical marijuana and 14 states currently have medical marijuana legislation pending.
Laundrie also said she believes the issue of medical marijuana will go beyond partisan politics.
"Mostly, people who would be using medical marijuana would be at the end of life or in very dire situations," Laundrie said. "Everyone knows someone that has really struggled when they were dying or when they were in treatment that was really painful or awful for them. I don't think that has anything to do with party lines."
Since the bill is still in its preliminary stages, it is difficult to measure Republican support or opposition to the bill. However, Kimber Liedl, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the legalization of marijuana should not be allowed, even under medical circumstances.
"The addictive and dangerous nature of the drug outweighs its benefits," Liedl said. "It's not high on the legislative agenda for this session. Other initiatives such as drunken driving legislation hold a greater priority than the legalization of marijuana."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n916/a02.html
Newshawk: Is My Medicine Legal YET? www.immly.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 7 Oct 2009
Source: Badger Herald (U of WI, Madison, WI Edu)
Copyright: 2009 Badger Herald
Contact: editor@badgerherald.com
Website: http://www.badgerherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/711
Author: Ryan Rainey
Cited: Is My Medicine Legal Yet? http://www.immly.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Jacki+Rickert
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Gary+Storck
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)
After last weekend's Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival protest on the Capitol steps brought attention to the issue of medical marijuana, two Wisconsin Democrats have proposed legislation that would legalize cannabis for medical purposes in the state.
According to a statement from advocacy group Is My Medicine Legal Yet?, Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, are the co-authors of the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act, which if passed would allow terminally or seriously ill patients to grow or have someone else grow a small amount of cannabis for medical use.
Rickert is a Mondovi, Wis., citizen suffering from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome who was never given federal government-issued joints for medical use, according to the statement.
Michigan voters approved a similar initiative in a statewide referendum, which is the basis for the Wisconsin bill, said Gary Storck, spokesperson for IMMLY. The bill is the early stages of development, currently gaining co-sponsorships from Wisconsin senators and representatives.
Storck said the legislation covers a broad base of debilitating illnesses and he named post-traumatic stress disorder as a prominent target of the bill.
"It's been known for many years that cannabis is a potent remedy for the symptoms of PTSD," Storck said. "It helps them sleep and wean themselves off of alcohol and other substances that may be preventing them from readjusting."
Stork said he hopes the inclusion of PTSD as a debilitating condition will compel the state Legislature to give more consideration to the bill. He also said medical marijuana dispensaries more tightly regulated than those found in California would be allowed for patients with a state-issued ID card.
Storck also cited President Barack Obama's administration's decision not to interfere with state-sponsored cannabis dispensaries, an overridden veto in Rhode Island allowing dispensaries and the lack of hostility from Wisconsin citizens and legislators as factors that have made the issue more mainstream.
According to Erpenbach spokesperson Julie Laundrie, the issue has become more legitimate around the country in the past years; 13 states now allow the use of medical marijuana and 14 states currently have medical marijuana legislation pending.
Laundrie also said she believes the issue of medical marijuana will go beyond partisan politics.
"Mostly, people who would be using medical marijuana would be at the end of life or in very dire situations," Laundrie said. "Everyone knows someone that has really struggled when they were dying or when they were in treatment that was really painful or awful for them. I don't think that has anything to do with party lines."
Since the bill is still in its preliminary stages, it is difficult to measure Republican support or opposition to the bill. However, Kimber Liedl, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the legalization of marijuana should not be allowed, even under medical circumstances.
"The addictive and dangerous nature of the drug outweighs its benefits," Liedl said. "It's not high on the legislative agenda for this session. Other initiatives such as drunken driving legislation hold a greater priority than the legalization of marijuana."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n916/a02.html
Newshawk: Is My Medicine Legal YET? www.immly.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 7 Oct 2009
Source: Badger Herald (U of WI, Madison, WI Edu)
Copyright: 2009 Badger Herald
Contact: editor@badgerherald.com
Website: http://www.badgerherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/711
Author: Ryan Rainey
Cited: Is My Medicine Legal Yet? http://www.immly.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Jacki+Rickert
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Gary+Storck
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
GOING TO POT
Once New Jersey gets a "medical marijuana" regimen going, will cannabis become the updated version of the bottles of snake oil that itinerant mountebanks used to peddle as a cure for gout, warts and assorted other ailments?
Medical marijuana is touted by advocates as a means of alleviating the discomforts of those suffering from various maladies ranging from seizures to muscle spasms to AIDS to glaucoma. So the concept does have something of the aura of a snake-oil panacea to it.
Rather than an updated version of snake-oil peddlers, however, medical marijuana in New Jersey may signal another trend altogether if California's experience is any indication: DEA raids.
But didn't the campaigning Barack Obama pledge to call off such federal raids in places with state medical marijuana laws? He did indeed. Yet the raids continue now that Obama is president, as the libertarian Reason magazine recently noted with chagrin.
On Obama's White House watch, DEA raiders have hit licensed "medical" marijuana purveyors in South Lake Tahoe, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Ray and San Francisco.
Atty. Gen. Eric Holder says the Obama administration is not forsaking its promise. It is, he says, upholding the law. "The policy is to go after those people who violate both federal and state law," he explains. One of the raids was said to involve certain "financial improprieties."
It would appear, then -- at least from the California experience -- that medical marijuana may not necessarily entail, in every case, the pot-purveying Florence Nightingales that advocates depict.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n671/a04.html
Newshawk: Marijuana a Medical Option? http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 2 Jul 2009
Source: Trentonian, The (NJ)
Copyright: 2009 The Trentonian
Contact: letters@trentonian.com
Website: http://www.trentonian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1006
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)
Medical marijuana is touted by advocates as a means of alleviating the discomforts of those suffering from various maladies ranging from seizures to muscle spasms to AIDS to glaucoma. So the concept does have something of the aura of a snake-oil panacea to it.
Rather than an updated version of snake-oil peddlers, however, medical marijuana in New Jersey may signal another trend altogether if California's experience is any indication: DEA raids.
But didn't the campaigning Barack Obama pledge to call off such federal raids in places with state medical marijuana laws? He did indeed. Yet the raids continue now that Obama is president, as the libertarian Reason magazine recently noted with chagrin.
On Obama's White House watch, DEA raiders have hit licensed "medical" marijuana purveyors in South Lake Tahoe, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Ray and San Francisco.
Atty. Gen. Eric Holder says the Obama administration is not forsaking its promise. It is, he says, upholding the law. "The policy is to go after those people who violate both federal and state law," he explains. One of the raids was said to involve certain "financial improprieties."
It would appear, then -- at least from the California experience -- that medical marijuana may not necessarily entail, in every case, the pot-purveying Florence Nightingales that advocates depict.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n671/a04.html
Newshawk: Marijuana a Medical Option? http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 2 Jul 2009
Source: Trentonian, The (NJ)
Copyright: 2009 The Trentonian
Contact: letters@trentonian.com
Website: http://www.trentonian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1006
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)
MEDICAL POT USERS, GROWERS CAN SUE OVER RAIDS
MEDICAL POT USERS, GROWERS CAN SUE OVER RAIDS
Medical marijuana patients and growers can sue police for illegally raiding their property and destroying their plants, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The 2-1 decision by the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento was the first in the state to allow a patient or grower to sue claiming that their rights to cultivate and use medical marijuana have been violated. Those rights are protected by state law but banned by federal law.
Officials in Butte County, where the case arose, argued that patients and suppliers can invoke the medical marijuana law only as a defense to criminal charges, not to sue for damages. The court's dissenting justice said no one is entitled to compensation for the destruction of a drug banned under federal law.
But the court's majority said a marijuana patient or member of a collective has the same right as anyone else to sue officers who violate the constitutional ban on illegal searches and seizures.
The plaintiff, David Williams, is relying on "the same constitutional guarantee of due process available to all individuals," Justice Vance Raye said. He said Williams is not required to go through "the expense and stress of criminal proceedings" to assert his rights.
Williams belonged to a seven-member collective near the town of Paradise. When a sheriff's deputy came to his door without a warrant in September 2005, Williams showed doctors' recommendations for all seven patients that allowed them to grow and use marijuana, he said.
He said the officer had questioned the legality of the collective and ordered him to destroy 29 of the 41 plants on his property or face arrest. He complied, then sued the officer and the county for damages. Wednesday's ruling upheld a Superior Court judge's refusal to dismiss the suit.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Fred Morrison said Congress should ease the federal ban on marijuana to accommodate California and 12 other states that allow medical use. But as long as the ban exists, he said, no one has the right to use the drug, and police are entitled to confiscate it.
Brad Stephens, a deputy county counsel, said the county would probably appeal to the state Supreme Court.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n671/a05.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Webpage: http://drugsense.org/url/oay4NFR3
Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jul 2009
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Page: B3
Copyright: 2009 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: letters@sfchronicle.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Medical marijuana patients and growers can sue police for illegally raiding their property and destroying their plants, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The 2-1 decision by the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento was the first in the state to allow a patient or grower to sue claiming that their rights to cultivate and use medical marijuana have been violated. Those rights are protected by state law but banned by federal law.
Officials in Butte County, where the case arose, argued that patients and suppliers can invoke the medical marijuana law only as a defense to criminal charges, not to sue for damages. The court's dissenting justice said no one is entitled to compensation for the destruction of a drug banned under federal law.
But the court's majority said a marijuana patient or member of a collective has the same right as anyone else to sue officers who violate the constitutional ban on illegal searches and seizures.
The plaintiff, David Williams, is relying on "the same constitutional guarantee of due process available to all individuals," Justice Vance Raye said. He said Williams is not required to go through "the expense and stress of criminal proceedings" to assert his rights.
Williams belonged to a seven-member collective near the town of Paradise. When a sheriff's deputy came to his door without a warrant in September 2005, Williams showed doctors' recommendations for all seven patients that allowed them to grow and use marijuana, he said.
He said the officer had questioned the legality of the collective and ordered him to destroy 29 of the 41 plants on his property or face arrest. He complied, then sued the officer and the county for damages. Wednesday's ruling upheld a Superior Court judge's refusal to dismiss the suit.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Fred Morrison said Congress should ease the federal ban on marijuana to accommodate California and 12 other states that allow medical use. But as long as the ban exists, he said, no one has the right to use the drug, and police are entitled to confiscate it.
Brad Stephens, a deputy county counsel, said the county would probably appeal to the state Supreme Court.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n671/a05.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Webpage: http://drugsense.org/url/oay4NFR3
Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jul 2009
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Page: B3
Copyright: 2009 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: letters@sfchronicle.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
SITUATION NORML 2009
Reconciling Medical Pot Use and Legalization
More than 500 devotees of the cannabis plant attended the 38th annual NORML convention at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco September 24-26. The crowd was not only larger than in previous years, but people seemed to be listening more intently to the speakers, less apt to gab outside the auditorium. NORML's goals have been remote and vague for decades; now they seem attainable and in need of definition.
Local media coverage centered on the "Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010" that is likely to be on the California ballot in November 2010. If approved by the voters, it would allow adults over 21 to cultivate, possess, and share up to an ounce. Distribution would be regulated and taxed by local governments.
The prime mover behind Tax Cannabis 2010 is Richard Lee, an organizer with a record of accomplishment --founder of the Bulldog Coffeeshop, Cafe Blue Sky ( one of Oakland's four permitted cannabis dispensaries ), and Oaksterdam University ( a trade school for the burgeoning industry ). Lee also helped lead the 2004 campaign for Oakland's Measure Z, which made the use of marijuana by adults a low-priority matter for the police.
To make the ballot, Lee's team has to get 433,000 registered voters to sign petitions over the next five months. A professional signature-gathering outfit has been hired to coordinate the efforts of paid volunteers.
C.W. Nevius of the Chronicle belittled the initiative's chances of winning. "I doubt voters in conservative Orange County will be thrilled to vote for the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010," Nevius opined. He was covering sports in 1996 and might not know that Proposition 215 carried Orange County with 52% of the vote, overcoming opposition by Attorney General Dan Lungren, Governor Gray Davis, former Presidents Ford, Carter and Bush, Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, 57 of 58 district attorneys ( Terence Hallinan being the lone supporter ), the sheriffs' lobby, the police chiefs', the police officers', and former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.
Some of Rich Lee's former allies are not supporting Tax Cannabis 2010 because it would penalize smoking in the presence of children and stiffen the punishment for providing cannabis to those under 21. Dennis Peron is among the detractors.
The Harborside Model
A call for a slower approach to legalization was issued by Steve DeAngelo, executive director of Oakland's extremely successful Harborside Health Center. About 70% of the American people support legalization for medical use, DeAngelo noted, but fewer than 50% are for full legalization. "Why do so many Americans feel comfortable with people possessing cannabis but not obtaining it unless they are sick?" he asked. "What is the source of their reservations?"
The answer that DeAngelo said he'd gleaned from neighbors, bureaucrats, cops, and other sources, is: "their discomfort springs from the lack of any positive image of what legal cannabis distribution would look like." People envision "armed dealers setting up shop and slinging weed on the corners of their suburban neighborhoods." They don't want their kids exposed to "glossy ads for reefer in the style of Anheuser-Busch."
The way to win the hearts and minds of these swing voters, according to DeAngelo, is to establish professionally run dispensaries throughout California and other states where they are allowed. He called on NORML ( and has been urging the Marijuana Policy Project and Drug Policy Alliance ) to back dispensary-friendly initiatives in states that have yet to enact medical-marijuana laws.
DeAngelo recently formed a consulting firm with the directors of two other high-end dispensaries --Don Duncan of the Los Angeles Patients Group and Robert Jacob of Sebastopol's Peace in Medicine. They advise newcomers to the industry and owners of existing dispensaries who want to upgrade their operations. It wouldn't be surprising if this group developed a dispensary brand that is franchised nationwide.
DeAngelo, 51, has been a pro-cannabis activist since his early teens. A cynic might say that he is now advocating a political strategy to advance his business interests. DeAngelo says that he created the business to advance his political strategy. They spent $400,000 to create a dispensary that Oakland would regard as an asset, not a threat. Indeed, Harborside is a secure, clean, well lit, spacious, facility. The budtenders are knowledgable and helpful. Members of the collective can get acupuncture and other alternative health care, free. The seting is a small business park, away from young passersby. The inventory is extensive and varied. All the cannabis that growers provide gets tested for pathogenic mold and cannabinoid content at the Steep Hill analytic lab, a visionary project that DeAngelo backed as an investor. Harborside pays taxes to the state and to the city ( an obligation that DeAngelo and Rich Lee offered to incur ).
One observer impressed by the Harborside model was Roger Parloff of Fortune Magazine, who writes in the current issue, "Medical marijuana... has given legalization advocates in California a first-ever opportunity to devise and showcase a business prototype. They've been afforded the chance to show a skeptical public that a safe, seemly, and responsible system for distributing marijuana is possible. If they succeed, they'll convince the fence sitters and lead the way to a nationwide metamorphosis. If they fail, the backlash will be savage. If communities cannot adequately regulate the dispensaries, they'll descend into unsightly, youth-seducing, crime-ridden playgrounds for gang-bangers, and this flirtation with legalization will conclude the way the last one did: with a swift and merciless swing of the pendulum."
In his talk to NORML, DeAngelo quoted Parloff"s summary of the current situation, adding, "As one of those with his head on the chopping block, I am very concerned about that pendulum." Then he laid out his what-is-to-be-done:
"We must demand the effective licensing and regulation of dispensaries... Today, 50% of California jurisdictions still prohibit dispensary operations, and many others unnecessarily restrict their operations. We must do the sustained political footwork needed to move them to effective licensing and regulation.
"We must embrace the not-for-profit, community-service model of cannabis distribution. When you boil down the fear of our 25% of swing voters, I would submit that it likely comes down to them not wanting us as a society to make the same mistakes with cannabis that we made with alcohol and tobacco: glamorization, excessive advertising driving inappropriate use, profit-making corporations enticing their children into lifetimes of dependency."
DeAngelo does not support Tax Cannabis 2010. "If legalization initiatives lack effective distribution regulations," he argued, "they will likely manifest the worst fears of the key swing voters. A legal but unregulated cannabis market would turn into a free-for-all, leading to a public-relations mess."
Looking beyond California, DeAngelo called for legislation and voter initiatives that "contain provisions that will enable the creation of an effective distribution system. All too often our movement has traded easy victory for laws that fail to adequately protect us... We have accepted medical cannabis laws that severely restrict the ability of doctors to write recommendations, which is the first step in creating a market large enough to sustain dispensaries.... We have accepted severe restrictions on the quantity of medicine patients may cultivate, or on their right to collective gardens-which are the first steps in creating a sufficient supply of medicine-another pre-requisite of an effective marketplace... We have accepted bans or restrictions on the right of patients to trade and distribute medicine amongst themselves, with obvious implications for developing a positive image of cannabis distribution.
"These self-defeating half steps must end. If we accept these kinds of restrictions, we will never be able to place positive images of cannabis distribution in front of our fellow citizens. We will blow this historic opportunity to win them over.
"Flip the Switch"
DeAngelo told his NORML audience to fast forward five or six years to a time when, if events follow his scenario, "tens of millions of Americans have become legal cannabis consumers. Almost everybody has a friend or a relative with a recommendation, and knows that it has done them no harm, and indeed probably a whole lot of good. Fears and reservations about the distribution of cannabis have been allayed, and replaced with acceptance. Scientific research has solidly established both the safety and the medical efficacy of cannabis for a wide range of ailments, including everyday ailments.
"Across the nation, thousands of not-for-profit, community service dispensaries have created a positive model of cannabis distribution. There's no reefer in the 7-11; kids aren't being subject to the machinations of a created market, and communities are benefiting from tax revenue, charitable donations, and community services. In short, a safe, seemly, and reliable distribution system will already be in existence."
At this point DeAngelo would have the reform movement push for legalization by advocating reclassification of cannabis as an over-the-counter drug. "At dispensaries all across the country," he concluded with a flourish, "we will stop asking for medical cannabis identification, and simply ask for adult identification. We will flip the switch at the dispensary door, and all adult Americans will have what hundreds of thousands of Californians now have: free, safe, and affordable access to cannabis."
Say what you will about Steve DeAngelo, the man does not have a hidden agenda.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n914/a08.html
Newshawk: still another view of the NORML Conference
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 5 Oct 2009
Source: CounterPunch (US Web)
Copyright: 2009 CounterPunch
Website: http://www.counterpunch.org/
Author: Fred Gardner
Note: Fred Gardner edits O'Shaughnessy's, the journal of cannabis in
clinical practice.
Cited: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
http://www.norml.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/NORML (NORML)
More than 500 devotees of the cannabis plant attended the 38th annual NORML convention at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco September 24-26. The crowd was not only larger than in previous years, but people seemed to be listening more intently to the speakers, less apt to gab outside the auditorium. NORML's goals have been remote and vague for decades; now they seem attainable and in need of definition.
Local media coverage centered on the "Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010" that is likely to be on the California ballot in November 2010. If approved by the voters, it would allow adults over 21 to cultivate, possess, and share up to an ounce. Distribution would be regulated and taxed by local governments.
The prime mover behind Tax Cannabis 2010 is Richard Lee, an organizer with a record of accomplishment --founder of the Bulldog Coffeeshop, Cafe Blue Sky ( one of Oakland's four permitted cannabis dispensaries ), and Oaksterdam University ( a trade school for the burgeoning industry ). Lee also helped lead the 2004 campaign for Oakland's Measure Z, which made the use of marijuana by adults a low-priority matter for the police.
To make the ballot, Lee's team has to get 433,000 registered voters to sign petitions over the next five months. A professional signature-gathering outfit has been hired to coordinate the efforts of paid volunteers.
C.W. Nevius of the Chronicle belittled the initiative's chances of winning. "I doubt voters in conservative Orange County will be thrilled to vote for the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010," Nevius opined. He was covering sports in 1996 and might not know that Proposition 215 carried Orange County with 52% of the vote, overcoming opposition by Attorney General Dan Lungren, Governor Gray Davis, former Presidents Ford, Carter and Bush, Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, 57 of 58 district attorneys ( Terence Hallinan being the lone supporter ), the sheriffs' lobby, the police chiefs', the police officers', and former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.
Some of Rich Lee's former allies are not supporting Tax Cannabis 2010 because it would penalize smoking in the presence of children and stiffen the punishment for providing cannabis to those under 21. Dennis Peron is among the detractors.
The Harborside Model
A call for a slower approach to legalization was issued by Steve DeAngelo, executive director of Oakland's extremely successful Harborside Health Center. About 70% of the American people support legalization for medical use, DeAngelo noted, but fewer than 50% are for full legalization. "Why do so many Americans feel comfortable with people possessing cannabis but not obtaining it unless they are sick?" he asked. "What is the source of their reservations?"
The answer that DeAngelo said he'd gleaned from neighbors, bureaucrats, cops, and other sources, is: "their discomfort springs from the lack of any positive image of what legal cannabis distribution would look like." People envision "armed dealers setting up shop and slinging weed on the corners of their suburban neighborhoods." They don't want their kids exposed to "glossy ads for reefer in the style of Anheuser-Busch."
The way to win the hearts and minds of these swing voters, according to DeAngelo, is to establish professionally run dispensaries throughout California and other states where they are allowed. He called on NORML ( and has been urging the Marijuana Policy Project and Drug Policy Alliance ) to back dispensary-friendly initiatives in states that have yet to enact medical-marijuana laws.
DeAngelo recently formed a consulting firm with the directors of two other high-end dispensaries --Don Duncan of the Los Angeles Patients Group and Robert Jacob of Sebastopol's Peace in Medicine. They advise newcomers to the industry and owners of existing dispensaries who want to upgrade their operations. It wouldn't be surprising if this group developed a dispensary brand that is franchised nationwide.
DeAngelo, 51, has been a pro-cannabis activist since his early teens. A cynic might say that he is now advocating a political strategy to advance his business interests. DeAngelo says that he created the business to advance his political strategy. They spent $400,000 to create a dispensary that Oakland would regard as an asset, not a threat. Indeed, Harborside is a secure, clean, well lit, spacious, facility. The budtenders are knowledgable and helpful. Members of the collective can get acupuncture and other alternative health care, free. The seting is a small business park, away from young passersby. The inventory is extensive and varied. All the cannabis that growers provide gets tested for pathogenic mold and cannabinoid content at the Steep Hill analytic lab, a visionary project that DeAngelo backed as an investor. Harborside pays taxes to the state and to the city ( an obligation that DeAngelo and Rich Lee offered to incur ).
One observer impressed by the Harborside model was Roger Parloff of Fortune Magazine, who writes in the current issue, "Medical marijuana... has given legalization advocates in California a first-ever opportunity to devise and showcase a business prototype. They've been afforded the chance to show a skeptical public that a safe, seemly, and responsible system for distributing marijuana is possible. If they succeed, they'll convince the fence sitters and lead the way to a nationwide metamorphosis. If they fail, the backlash will be savage. If communities cannot adequately regulate the dispensaries, they'll descend into unsightly, youth-seducing, crime-ridden playgrounds for gang-bangers, and this flirtation with legalization will conclude the way the last one did: with a swift and merciless swing of the pendulum."
In his talk to NORML, DeAngelo quoted Parloff"s summary of the current situation, adding, "As one of those with his head on the chopping block, I am very concerned about that pendulum." Then he laid out his what-is-to-be-done:
"We must demand the effective licensing and regulation of dispensaries... Today, 50% of California jurisdictions still prohibit dispensary operations, and many others unnecessarily restrict their operations. We must do the sustained political footwork needed to move them to effective licensing and regulation.
"We must embrace the not-for-profit, community-service model of cannabis distribution. When you boil down the fear of our 25% of swing voters, I would submit that it likely comes down to them not wanting us as a society to make the same mistakes with cannabis that we made with alcohol and tobacco: glamorization, excessive advertising driving inappropriate use, profit-making corporations enticing their children into lifetimes of dependency."
DeAngelo does not support Tax Cannabis 2010. "If legalization initiatives lack effective distribution regulations," he argued, "they will likely manifest the worst fears of the key swing voters. A legal but unregulated cannabis market would turn into a free-for-all, leading to a public-relations mess."
Looking beyond California, DeAngelo called for legislation and voter initiatives that "contain provisions that will enable the creation of an effective distribution system. All too often our movement has traded easy victory for laws that fail to adequately protect us... We have accepted medical cannabis laws that severely restrict the ability of doctors to write recommendations, which is the first step in creating a market large enough to sustain dispensaries.... We have accepted severe restrictions on the quantity of medicine patients may cultivate, or on their right to collective gardens-which are the first steps in creating a sufficient supply of medicine-another pre-requisite of an effective marketplace... We have accepted bans or restrictions on the right of patients to trade and distribute medicine amongst themselves, with obvious implications for developing a positive image of cannabis distribution.
"These self-defeating half steps must end. If we accept these kinds of restrictions, we will never be able to place positive images of cannabis distribution in front of our fellow citizens. We will blow this historic opportunity to win them over.
"Flip the Switch"
DeAngelo told his NORML audience to fast forward five or six years to a time when, if events follow his scenario, "tens of millions of Americans have become legal cannabis consumers. Almost everybody has a friend or a relative with a recommendation, and knows that it has done them no harm, and indeed probably a whole lot of good. Fears and reservations about the distribution of cannabis have been allayed, and replaced with acceptance. Scientific research has solidly established both the safety and the medical efficacy of cannabis for a wide range of ailments, including everyday ailments.
"Across the nation, thousands of not-for-profit, community service dispensaries have created a positive model of cannabis distribution. There's no reefer in the 7-11; kids aren't being subject to the machinations of a created market, and communities are benefiting from tax revenue, charitable donations, and community services. In short, a safe, seemly, and reliable distribution system will already be in existence."
At this point DeAngelo would have the reform movement push for legalization by advocating reclassification of cannabis as an over-the-counter drug. "At dispensaries all across the country," he concluded with a flourish, "we will stop asking for medical cannabis identification, and simply ask for adult identification. We will flip the switch at the dispensary door, and all adult Americans will have what hundreds of thousands of Californians now have: free, safe, and affordable access to cannabis."
Say what you will about Steve DeAngelo, the man does not have a hidden agenda.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n914/a08.html
Newshawk: still another view of the NORML Conference
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Mon, 5 Oct 2009
Source: CounterPunch (US Web)
Copyright: 2009 CounterPunch
Website: http://www.counterpunch.org/
Author: Fred Gardner
Note: Fred Gardner edits O'Shaughnessy's, the journal of cannabis in
clinical practice.
Cited: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
http://www.norml.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/NORML (NORML)
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
This Is Your War on Drugs
Since 1998, the Drug Czar Has Been Mandated to Lie to the American People. So What Would a Fact-Based Drug Policy Look Like?
AMONG OUR LEADERS in Washington, who's been the biggest liar? There are all too many contenders, yet one is so floridly surreal that he deserves special attention. Nope, it's not Dick Cheney or Alberto Gonzales or John Yoo. It's a trusted authority figure who's lied for 11 years now, no matter which party held sway. ( Nope, it's not Alan Greenspan. ) This liar didn't end-run Congress, or bully it, or have its surreptitious blessing at the time only to face its indignation later. No, this liar was ordered by Congress to lie--as a prerequisite for holding the job.
Give up? It's the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy ( ONDCP ), a.k.a. the drug czar, who in 1998 was mandated by Congress to oppose legislation that would legalize, decriminalize, or medicalize marijuana, or redirect anti-trafficking funding into treatment. And the drug czar has also--here's where the lying comes in--been prohibited from funding research that might give credence to any of the above. These provisions were crafted by Dennis Hastert ( R-Ill. ) and Bob Barr ( R-Ga. ) and pushed for by then-czar Barry McCaffrey, best remembered for being somewhat comically obsessed with the evils of medical marijuana. A few Dems complained that the bill, which set "hard targets" of an 80 percent drop in the availability of drugs, a 60 percent decrease in street purity, and a 50 percent reduction in drug-related crime and ER visits, all by 2004--whoops!--was "simplistic" and "designed to achieve political advantage." Though the vote count was not recorded for history, it go! t enough bipartisan support to be signed into law by Bill "Didn't Inhale" Clinton.
If this tale strikes you as the kind of paranoid fantasy you'd expect from someone who's taken one too many hits off the joint, consider that it isn't the most bizarre, hypocritical, counterproductive moment in our nation's history with drugs. Not by a long shot. Consider that Prohibition came about when progressives got into bed with the Ku Klux Klan, but was rolled back once they'd had enough of the Mob. Or that the precursor to today's drug czar supplied morphine to Sen. Joe McCarthy because he worried about the national security consequences--not of the red-baiter's habit, but of its potential exposure. Or that drug war progenitor Richard Nixon ordered a comprehensive study on the perils of marijuana, and then ignored the study once he learned it recommended decriminalization.
But then, the drug war has never been about facts--about, dare we say, soberly weighing which policies might alleviate suffering, save taxpayers money, rob the cartels of revenue. Instead, we've been stuck in a cycle of prohibition, failure, and counterfactual claims of success. ( To wit: Since 1998, the ONDCP has spent $1.4 billion on youth anti-pot ads. It also spent $43 million to study their effectiveness. When the study found that kids who've seen the ads are more likely to smoke pot, the ONDCP buried the evidence, choosing to spend hundreds of millions more on the counterproductive ads. )
What would a fact-based drug policy look like? It would put considerably more money into treatment, the method proven to best reduce use. It would likely leave in place the prohibition on "hard" drugs, but make enforcement fair ( no more traffickers rolling on hapless girlfriends to cut a deal. No more Tulias ). And it would likely decriminalize but tightly regulate marijuana, which study after study shows is less dangerous or addictive than cigarettes or alcohol, has undeniable medicinal properties, and isn't a gateway drug to anything harder than Doritos. ( See "The Patriot's Guide to Legalization." )
So why don't we have a rational drug policy? Simple. Forget the Social Security "third rail." The quickest way to get yourself sidelined in serious policy discussion is to stray from drug war orthodoxy. Even MoJo has skirted the topic for fear of looking like a bunch of hot-tubbing stoners. Such is the power of the culture wars, 50 years on.
There is some hope. We have, at long last, a post-boomer president, one who confidently admits he partook back in the day. And while Barack Obama has said he's not interested in overhauling drug policy, his administration has made moves toward honesty--acknowledging that US demand fuels overseas production, that federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries are a waste of time and money, and that treatment should be our top priority; the Pentagon has even said that Mexico rivals Pakistan atop the list of states most likely to fail. There are other signs of a thaw: Those noted hippies at The Economist and Foreign Policy have called for ending "prohibition at any cost." Drug warrior Bob Barr is lobbying for the Marijuana Policy Project. And Joe Biden--who helped create the 100:1 crack-vs.-coke sentencing disparity--has finally issued a mea culpa.
Meanwhile, the new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske--the first since moralizer-in-chief William Bennett not to hold Cabinet-level status--has even dared suggest that the phrase "War on Drugs" be retired. But Kerlikowske still remains bound by the 1998 mandate prohibiting him from speaking the truth. If we want a sensible drug policy, ditching the liar's law would be a good start.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n666/a10.html
Newshawk: Just Say Know: http://www.efsdp.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 1 Jul 2009
Source: Mother Jones (US)
Page: 4
Copyright: 2009 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress
Contact: http://www.motherjones.com/about/contact#contact
Website: http://motherjones.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/277
Authors: Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery
AMONG OUR LEADERS in Washington, who's been the biggest liar? There are all too many contenders, yet one is so floridly surreal that he deserves special attention. Nope, it's not Dick Cheney or Alberto Gonzales or John Yoo. It's a trusted authority figure who's lied for 11 years now, no matter which party held sway. ( Nope, it's not Alan Greenspan. ) This liar didn't end-run Congress, or bully it, or have its surreptitious blessing at the time only to face its indignation later. No, this liar was ordered by Congress to lie--as a prerequisite for holding the job.
Give up? It's the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy ( ONDCP ), a.k.a. the drug czar, who in 1998 was mandated by Congress to oppose legislation that would legalize, decriminalize, or medicalize marijuana, or redirect anti-trafficking funding into treatment. And the drug czar has also--here's where the lying comes in--been prohibited from funding research that might give credence to any of the above. These provisions were crafted by Dennis Hastert ( R-Ill. ) and Bob Barr ( R-Ga. ) and pushed for by then-czar Barry McCaffrey, best remembered for being somewhat comically obsessed with the evils of medical marijuana. A few Dems complained that the bill, which set "hard targets" of an 80 percent drop in the availability of drugs, a 60 percent decrease in street purity, and a 50 percent reduction in drug-related crime and ER visits, all by 2004--whoops!--was "simplistic" and "designed to achieve political advantage." Though the vote count was not recorded for history, it go! t enough bipartisan support to be signed into law by Bill "Didn't Inhale" Clinton.
If this tale strikes you as the kind of paranoid fantasy you'd expect from someone who's taken one too many hits off the joint, consider that it isn't the most bizarre, hypocritical, counterproductive moment in our nation's history with drugs. Not by a long shot. Consider that Prohibition came about when progressives got into bed with the Ku Klux Klan, but was rolled back once they'd had enough of the Mob. Or that the precursor to today's drug czar supplied morphine to Sen. Joe McCarthy because he worried about the national security consequences--not of the red-baiter's habit, but of its potential exposure. Or that drug war progenitor Richard Nixon ordered a comprehensive study on the perils of marijuana, and then ignored the study once he learned it recommended decriminalization.
But then, the drug war has never been about facts--about, dare we say, soberly weighing which policies might alleviate suffering, save taxpayers money, rob the cartels of revenue. Instead, we've been stuck in a cycle of prohibition, failure, and counterfactual claims of success. ( To wit: Since 1998, the ONDCP has spent $1.4 billion on youth anti-pot ads. It also spent $43 million to study their effectiveness. When the study found that kids who've seen the ads are more likely to smoke pot, the ONDCP buried the evidence, choosing to spend hundreds of millions more on the counterproductive ads. )
What would a fact-based drug policy look like? It would put considerably more money into treatment, the method proven to best reduce use. It would likely leave in place the prohibition on "hard" drugs, but make enforcement fair ( no more traffickers rolling on hapless girlfriends to cut a deal. No more Tulias ). And it would likely decriminalize but tightly regulate marijuana, which study after study shows is less dangerous or addictive than cigarettes or alcohol, has undeniable medicinal properties, and isn't a gateway drug to anything harder than Doritos. ( See "The Patriot's Guide to Legalization." )
So why don't we have a rational drug policy? Simple. Forget the Social Security "third rail." The quickest way to get yourself sidelined in serious policy discussion is to stray from drug war orthodoxy. Even MoJo has skirted the topic for fear of looking like a bunch of hot-tubbing stoners. Such is the power of the culture wars, 50 years on.
There is some hope. We have, at long last, a post-boomer president, one who confidently admits he partook back in the day. And while Barack Obama has said he's not interested in overhauling drug policy, his administration has made moves toward honesty--acknowledging that US demand fuels overseas production, that federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries are a waste of time and money, and that treatment should be our top priority; the Pentagon has even said that Mexico rivals Pakistan atop the list of states most likely to fail. There are other signs of a thaw: Those noted hippies at The Economist and Foreign Policy have called for ending "prohibition at any cost." Drug warrior Bob Barr is lobbying for the Marijuana Policy Project. And Joe Biden--who helped create the 100:1 crack-vs.-coke sentencing disparity--has finally issued a mea culpa.
Meanwhile, the new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske--the first since moralizer-in-chief William Bennett not to hold Cabinet-level status--has even dared suggest that the phrase "War on Drugs" be retired. But Kerlikowske still remains bound by the 1998 mandate prohibiting him from speaking the truth. If we want a sensible drug policy, ditching the liar's law would be a good start.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n666/a10.html
Newshawk: Just Say Know: http://www.efsdp.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 1 Jul 2009
Source: Mother Jones (US)
Page: 4
Copyright: 2009 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress
Contact: http://www.motherjones.com/about/contact#contact
Website: http://motherjones.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/277
Authors: Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Bray: Arrests Slow Drug Crime, but Do Not End It
Operation Spring Bling Arrests 28
Though "Operation Spring Bling" has now resulted in nearly 30 arrests, an Elizabeth City police official says no one should expect the recent roundup of drug suspects to have a lasting impact on the city's illegal drug trade.
Police may have temporarily curbed some of the nuisances associated with the drug trade -- excessive traffic and noise -- and removed several street-level drug dealers, but selling illegal narcotics is a lucrative 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week business, Sgt. Gary Bray says. And as such it will go on, despite efforts like Spring Bling to stop it.
As Bray points out: "( Drug dealers ) don't take Saturdays and Sundays off and go out to their in-laws and barbecue."
At best, police were able to inconvenience customers of the city's drug trade by locking up those they regularly buy drugs from. However, if someone really wanted to buy drugs the day police unleashed Spring Bling, they could, Bray said.
"There's going to be some people that are going to go, 'Damn, I don't have my regular person'" to buy drugs from, he said. But that doesn't mean they can't still buy drugs.
Where police are able to have impact with operations like Spring Bling is community perception of crime, Bray, head of the Elizabeth City Police Department's Drug Enforcement Unit, says.
Prior to starting their investigation, police had received complaints from neighbors of six private residences about what appeared to be illegal drug activity. Citizens complained about constant traffic and excessive noise, including in the middle of the night.
"'Man, I can't even get a good night's sleep around here,'" was typical of some of the complaints, Bray said.
Shootings and violent crimes weren't a recurring problem at the six homes, he said. But it was obvious to police that there were problems in the neighborhoods that required a police response.
"It's the quality-of-life issues that really affect most citizens in these areas," Bray said.
Police soon began watching the six homes themselves, gathering intelligence on possible crimes and offenders, Bray said. Using controlled drug buys, police were able to collect enough evidence to execute search warrants at each of the six homes, and on Friday, June 19, police unleashed Spring Bling.
During the roundup, police found both drugs and weapons at several of the residences. They also arrested about a dozen of the 38 people they had warrants for. Charges ranged from possession of drug paraphernalia to rape and violent assault. As of Friday, the number of Spring Bling suspects in custody had risen to 28.
Bray said he's awaiting word from federal officials on whether any of those arrested will face federal charges.
Most of the targets of Spring Bling were chosen because they are believed to have connections to crack cocaine, Bray said.
While marijuana may be more plentiful, it is not as serious a problem as crack, he said.
"Crack is the one ( drug ) that really destroys people's lives," Bray said.
Police can't completely end the sale of crack but they can try to reduce it and the gang-related violence that accompanies it, he said. Gangs sometimes steal cars or guns and sell them to make money, but generally their income comes from selling drugs, Bray said.
"The only way gangs can make money here in Elizabeth City is sell dope or rob people," Bray said.
Bray said he likes to conduct about two operations like Spring Bling a year. He'd like to do more, but drug roundups require a lot of police legwork and are heavily dependent on help from the public.
Bray said residents aren't "beating down the doors" to help out police. Usually it's because offering such help can be risky for both themselves and their families, he said.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n665/a12.html
Newshawk: chip
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 28 Jun 2009
Source: Daily Advance, The (Elizabeth City, NC)
Copyright: 2009 Cox Newspapers, Inc.
Contact: elizabethcity@coxnc.com
Website: http://www.dailyadvance.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1700
Author: Diana Mazzella, Staff Writer
Though "Operation Spring Bling" has now resulted in nearly 30 arrests, an Elizabeth City police official says no one should expect the recent roundup of drug suspects to have a lasting impact on the city's illegal drug trade.
Police may have temporarily curbed some of the nuisances associated with the drug trade -- excessive traffic and noise -- and removed several street-level drug dealers, but selling illegal narcotics is a lucrative 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week business, Sgt. Gary Bray says. And as such it will go on, despite efforts like Spring Bling to stop it.
As Bray points out: "( Drug dealers ) don't take Saturdays and Sundays off and go out to their in-laws and barbecue."
At best, police were able to inconvenience customers of the city's drug trade by locking up those they regularly buy drugs from. However, if someone really wanted to buy drugs the day police unleashed Spring Bling, they could, Bray said.
"There's going to be some people that are going to go, 'Damn, I don't have my regular person'" to buy drugs from, he said. But that doesn't mean they can't still buy drugs.
Where police are able to have impact with operations like Spring Bling is community perception of crime, Bray, head of the Elizabeth City Police Department's Drug Enforcement Unit, says.
Prior to starting their investigation, police had received complaints from neighbors of six private residences about what appeared to be illegal drug activity. Citizens complained about constant traffic and excessive noise, including in the middle of the night.
"'Man, I can't even get a good night's sleep around here,'" was typical of some of the complaints, Bray said.
Shootings and violent crimes weren't a recurring problem at the six homes, he said. But it was obvious to police that there were problems in the neighborhoods that required a police response.
"It's the quality-of-life issues that really affect most citizens in these areas," Bray said.
Police soon began watching the six homes themselves, gathering intelligence on possible crimes and offenders, Bray said. Using controlled drug buys, police were able to collect enough evidence to execute search warrants at each of the six homes, and on Friday, June 19, police unleashed Spring Bling.
During the roundup, police found both drugs and weapons at several of the residences. They also arrested about a dozen of the 38 people they had warrants for. Charges ranged from possession of drug paraphernalia to rape and violent assault. As of Friday, the number of Spring Bling suspects in custody had risen to 28.
Bray said he's awaiting word from federal officials on whether any of those arrested will face federal charges.
Most of the targets of Spring Bling were chosen because they are believed to have connections to crack cocaine, Bray said.
While marijuana may be more plentiful, it is not as serious a problem as crack, he said.
"Crack is the one ( drug ) that really destroys people's lives," Bray said.
Police can't completely end the sale of crack but they can try to reduce it and the gang-related violence that accompanies it, he said. Gangs sometimes steal cars or guns and sell them to make money, but generally their income comes from selling drugs, Bray said.
"The only way gangs can make money here in Elizabeth City is sell dope or rob people," Bray said.
Bray said he likes to conduct about two operations like Spring Bling a year. He'd like to do more, but drug roundups require a lot of police legwork and are heavily dependent on help from the public.
Bray said residents aren't "beating down the doors" to help out police. Usually it's because offering such help can be risky for both themselves and their families, he said.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n665/a12.html
Newshawk: chip
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Sun, 28 Jun 2009
Source: Daily Advance, The (Elizabeth City, NC)
Copyright: 2009 Cox Newspapers, Inc.
Contact: elizabethcity@coxnc.com
Website: http://www.dailyadvance.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1700
Author: Diana Mazzella, Staff Writer
Monday, June 29, 2009
Coalition Pushes for Alternatives to More Prisons
Former Sheriff Wells Scoffs at Calls to Halt Prison Construction
A call by Florida's most powerful business lobby to halt prison construction and reform the criminal justice system is gaining surprising traction among policy makers in the wake of a deepening budget crisis and growing evidence that building new prison beds will not reduce crime.
Four months after the head of Associated Industries of Florida stunned lawmakers with his plea to slow prison growth, a who's-who of business, religious and political leaders are asking Gov. Charlie Crist to consider alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders, particularly drug addicts.
Crist and state lawmakers this week received an "open letter" from opinion-makers calling for a "bold and serious conversation about justice reform."
The statement was signed by three former state attorneys general -- Jim Smith, Bob Butterworth and Richard Doran -- along with retired Department of Corrections secretary James McDonough and the heads of the Florida Association of Counties and the Florida Catholic Conference.
"At a time when Florida is in serious recession and facing a deep state budget crisis, the $2 billion-plus budget of the Florida Department of Corrections has grown larger; and without reform, that budget will continue to grow at a pace that crowds out other mission-critical state services such as education, human service needs, and environmental protection," the group wrote.
Calling itself the Coalition for Smart Justice, the group is asking state leaders to bolster education, drug and alcohol treatment and faith-based and character-building programs both within the state prison system and in community settings as an alternative to prison.
Coalition members also want Crist to "immediately implement" a bill passed by the Legislature in 2008 that created "the much needed" Correctional Policy Advisory Council to offer new directions for criminal justice administration.
Staying the course, coalition members wrote, will lead to "too many non-violent individuals being incarcerated, too many prisons needing to be built at astounding public cost ( and ) too many young people moving from the juvenile justice system into the adult justice system."
At the root of the state's failures, the coalition says, is the unwillingness of lawmakers to invest in programs -- such as job training, education and substance-abuse treatment -- that can break the cycle of crime and reduce recidivism.
McDonough, the state's former drug czar and prisons chief, said Florida can avoid the need to build a new $100 million prison each year by spending one-fifth that amount on drug treatment. "The math is irrefutable," McDonough said. "That's $100 million right there that you don't have to spend immediately."
That's an assertion former Manatee sheriff Charlie Wells scoffs at, as a veteran of the debate over the effectiveness of prisons in reducing and deterring crime. Wells said he is concerned the movement to turn the state away from building new prisons will lead to the repealing of legislation he pioneered in the 1990s that mandates inmates serve at least 85 percent of their prison terms.
"I think it is a bad mistake to be flirting with the idea of cutting back building prisons under the guise of looking for ways to cut costs," said Wells. "If we stop building prisons, overcrowding will force legislators to repeal that law, which would be a serious mistake."
Wells said advocates of diversion programs for non-violent offenders in lieu of prison time often do not tell the whole story about offenders sentenced to prison.
"That argument has been there since I started fighting this battle. But what always gets lost in translation is the length of someone's record who is finally is sent to prison. Someone who is going to prison for a so-called 'minor offense' has most likely been arrested a significant number of times," said Wells. "So I think it is absurd to start chipping away at the most significant aspect of crime prevention, which is sentencing and punishment."
Gretl Plessinger, DOC's spokeswoman, said the equation is far more complicated in response to the coalition's claims. Since the prison system runs on a five-year cycle based on "strategic projections," the corrections agency cannot simply "stop construction on a dime."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n660/a05.html
Newshawk: http://www.novembercoalition.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jun 2009
Source: Bradenton Herald (FL)
Copyright: 2009 Bradenton Herald
Contact: http://www.bradenton.com/contact_us/feedback/
Website: http://www.bradenton.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/58
Author: Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald
Note: Bradenton Herald staff writer Robert Napper contributed to this story.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
A call by Florida's most powerful business lobby to halt prison construction and reform the criminal justice system is gaining surprising traction among policy makers in the wake of a deepening budget crisis and growing evidence that building new prison beds will not reduce crime.
Four months after the head of Associated Industries of Florida stunned lawmakers with his plea to slow prison growth, a who's-who of business, religious and political leaders are asking Gov. Charlie Crist to consider alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders, particularly drug addicts.
Crist and state lawmakers this week received an "open letter" from opinion-makers calling for a "bold and serious conversation about justice reform."
The statement was signed by three former state attorneys general -- Jim Smith, Bob Butterworth and Richard Doran -- along with retired Department of Corrections secretary James McDonough and the heads of the Florida Association of Counties and the Florida Catholic Conference.
"At a time when Florida is in serious recession and facing a deep state budget crisis, the $2 billion-plus budget of the Florida Department of Corrections has grown larger; and without reform, that budget will continue to grow at a pace that crowds out other mission-critical state services such as education, human service needs, and environmental protection," the group wrote.
Calling itself the Coalition for Smart Justice, the group is asking state leaders to bolster education, drug and alcohol treatment and faith-based and character-building programs both within the state prison system and in community settings as an alternative to prison.
Coalition members also want Crist to "immediately implement" a bill passed by the Legislature in 2008 that created "the much needed" Correctional Policy Advisory Council to offer new directions for criminal justice administration.
Staying the course, coalition members wrote, will lead to "too many non-violent individuals being incarcerated, too many prisons needing to be built at astounding public cost ( and ) too many young people moving from the juvenile justice system into the adult justice system."
At the root of the state's failures, the coalition says, is the unwillingness of lawmakers to invest in programs -- such as job training, education and substance-abuse treatment -- that can break the cycle of crime and reduce recidivism.
McDonough, the state's former drug czar and prisons chief, said Florida can avoid the need to build a new $100 million prison each year by spending one-fifth that amount on drug treatment. "The math is irrefutable," McDonough said. "That's $100 million right there that you don't have to spend immediately."
That's an assertion former Manatee sheriff Charlie Wells scoffs at, as a veteran of the debate over the effectiveness of prisons in reducing and deterring crime. Wells said he is concerned the movement to turn the state away from building new prisons will lead to the repealing of legislation he pioneered in the 1990s that mandates inmates serve at least 85 percent of their prison terms.
"I think it is a bad mistake to be flirting with the idea of cutting back building prisons under the guise of looking for ways to cut costs," said Wells. "If we stop building prisons, overcrowding will force legislators to repeal that law, which would be a serious mistake."
Wells said advocates of diversion programs for non-violent offenders in lieu of prison time often do not tell the whole story about offenders sentenced to prison.
"That argument has been there since I started fighting this battle. But what always gets lost in translation is the length of someone's record who is finally is sent to prison. Someone who is going to prison for a so-called 'minor offense' has most likely been arrested a significant number of times," said Wells. "So I think it is absurd to start chipping away at the most significant aspect of crime prevention, which is sentencing and punishment."
Gretl Plessinger, DOC's spokeswoman, said the equation is far more complicated in response to the coalition's claims. Since the prison system runs on a five-year cycle based on "strategic projections," the corrections agency cannot simply "stop construction on a dime."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n660/a05.html
Newshawk: http://www.novembercoalition.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jun 2009
Source: Bradenton Herald (FL)
Copyright: 2009 Bradenton Herald
Contact: http://www.bradenton.com/contact_us/feedback/
Website: http://www.bradenton.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/58
Author: Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald
Note: Bradenton Herald staff writer Robert Napper contributed to this story.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Changing Mind About Marijuana
It is time to stop making the sale of marijuana profitable. There are several good reasons to do this.
A lot of crime is based on the need for drug money. Criminals who sell it could cares less what happens to the inexperienced person using it. The dealers start getting their customers in the grade schools by giving kids free marijuana cigarettes.
If we made it legal, and users could buy it only in government stores which collect taxes on sales, then dealers would have no more customers. With the new government laws on cigarettes, fewer kids will start smoking. That's a big plus.
This would lead to fewer gangs in town, and the reduced cost of arresting dealers and users and putting them in jail will be a big plus. The gang member making a huge profit off the drug will be out of business.
Also, the cancer patients who need marijuana would be able to buy it without thinking they were breaking the law. They would not have seek out drug dealers who take advantage of them, making life miserable.
I never thought several years ago that I would think this way. But when I studied the probation of alcohol, which created criminal gangs years ago, it made sense to legalize marijuana.
Now we have the drug cartels, which some people think may take over the government of Mexico. We must stop that if we can. So let's legalize marijuana and all of the above will help the state budget.
Leonard M. Nichols Vacaville
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n653/a11.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jun 2009
Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Reporter
Contact: letters@thereporter.com
Website: http://www.thereporter.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/472
Author: Leonard M. Nichols
A lot of crime is based on the need for drug money. Criminals who sell it could cares less what happens to the inexperienced person using it. The dealers start getting their customers in the grade schools by giving kids free marijuana cigarettes.
If we made it legal, and users could buy it only in government stores which collect taxes on sales, then dealers would have no more customers. With the new government laws on cigarettes, fewer kids will start smoking. That's a big plus.
This would lead to fewer gangs in town, and the reduced cost of arresting dealers and users and putting them in jail will be a big plus. The gang member making a huge profit off the drug will be out of business.
Also, the cancer patients who need marijuana would be able to buy it without thinking they were breaking the law. They would not have seek out drug dealers who take advantage of them, making life miserable.
I never thought several years ago that I would think this way. But when I studied the probation of alcohol, which created criminal gangs years ago, it made sense to legalize marijuana.
Now we have the drug cartels, which some people think may take over the government of Mexico. We must stop that if we can. So let's legalize marijuana and all of the above will help the state budget.
Leonard M. Nichols Vacaville
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n653/a11.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jun 2009
Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Reporter
Contact: letters@thereporter.com
Website: http://www.thereporter.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/472
Author: Leonard M. Nichols
Rebranding Humboldt
County-Led YouTube Effort Seeks To De-Weedify Our Image
What is Humboldt County best known for? This question was posed to more than 100 non-locals at last weekend's Oyster Festival -- 105, to be exact - -- and if the answer seems painfully obvious -- as it did to most respondents -- well, that's exactly what the folks at the county's Office of Economic Development hope to change with a new digital media project aimed at "rebranding" the Humboldt image. "We're trying to improve the image of the area beyond just pot, and work with local businesses to make this happen," Humboldt County Film and Digital Media Commissioner Mary Cruse told the Journal recently.
Cruse unveiled the "Humboldt Branding Project" to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday with a short speech followed by a film clip. The project, she explained, will yield six three-minute films showcasing aspects of Humboldt County that are overlooked by, or unknown to, the outside world, including our natural beauty, successful small businesses and artistic panache. The message will be delivered 21st century-style, through Web clips posted on sites like YouTube and Facebook.
"The way we consume media is changing," said Economic Development Coordinator Jacqueline Debets in a phone conversation Tuesday. "As much as we try to have the pursuit of happiness without our BlackBerries, YouTube and Facebook is where a lot of people live. We want to be there."
By "pursuit of happiness" Debets wasn't comparing promo Web clips to the Declaration of Independence; rather, it's the nickname for one of nine local "industry clusters" identified by the county's Economic Development Division as areas of growth in the region's economy. The "happiness" cluster includes beer, wine, cheese and flower companies. "That's the one [cluster] where they [the businesses] could really see the immediate benefit to their ability to sell products," Debets said. "That was the perfect place to start."
Debets and others involved in the branding project, including Angie Schwab, an economic development specialist with the county who has been guiding the endeavor, were reluctant to discuss the details, saying not all of the contracts have been signed. Their apprehension to take the project public may also stem from the fact that it's being partially funded through a $44,000 Headwaters Fund grant. Spending from that public nest egg frequently draws public scrutiny and criticism, and since the branding project is "innovative and cutting-edge," Schwab told the Journal on Monday, "I suspect some people will balk." The total cost, including time for staff research and the expense of the production itself, will be $96,000, with a $40,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration as well as $12,000 from the local businesses that will be featured in the clips.
Cruse, for one, is pumped. She described a "Felini-esque" scene to be shot in a local brewery and a wedding scene that will be filmed at a vineyard in Willow Creek. "We have a small, skilled and very creative crew," she said. Their chops were displayed in the short clip shown at Tuesday's Board of Supes meeting: Against a soft instrumental backdrop, a beautiful woman in a sun dress ambles through a field of tall grass. Cut to: waves crashing against a rocky shoreline, sunlight shimmering through a geyser of sea foam. It's a beautiful, professional-looking clip. You can almost hear the calming voice of a narrator intone something like, "Side effects are generally mild and may include ... ."
If the crew hopes to separate Humboldt from its illicit reputation, they have their work cut out for them. This Journal scribe meandered through the Plaza mob during Saturday's mollusk jubilee with a hand-Sharpied sign pinned to his shirt, requesting the perspective of out-of-towners. So what is Humboldt County best known for? The most popular reply was a tie between "marijuana" and "pot," each garnering 25 separate responses. Coming in third with 13 repetitions was "weed." All told, marijuana and its synonyms ( "the chronic," "the green," "smoking" ) accounted for 69 of the 105 replies -- 70 if you count the glassy-eyed gentleman who cracked a satisfied half-smile and said, "ludicrousness." The percentage may well have been higher had everyone been honest. A number of folks looked at their inquisitor like he might be a simpleton, then spat out some malarkey like "the mist," "hot chicks" ( twice on that one ) or "a place between Crescent City and Mendocino."
Granted, this informal survey was conducted on the Arcata Plaza -- essentially the bowl of Humboldt County's bong. But the Oyster Fest draws people from across the country and beyond. The ( sad? ) truth is that, for all our natural beauty and rich history, all our entrepreneurial pluck and artistic prowess, Humboldt's cannabis stigma has proved stickier than the dankest buds.
"I was in St. Croix recently," recalled one Oyster-muncher, "and when I told this guy I was from Humboldt he went, 'Oooh yeah.'"
The label, not to mention the moronic nudge-wink-guffaw that often accompanies it, irks those community members who represent the more respectable endeavors of the region, be it Humboldt State University ( "colleges" got a single Plaza response ), the business community ( "fishing" got two; "the creamery," one; "timber," zilch ) or tourism. Among drug-free responses, "redwood trees" came in first with a mere 10 tally marks, followed by "oysters" with seven and "good people" with three.
But Debets and Cruse aren't worried about the chronic labeling. "Nobody can erase the past imagery or the associations," Cruse said, "but we can work on creating something better." Debets agreed that there's no sense in trying to fight the reputation. "I don't think we have to overcome it," she said, "just move on. ... The dope story is so 20th century."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n654/a10.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jun 2009
Source: North Coast Journal (Arcata, CA)
Copyright: 2009 North Coast Journal
Contact: http://www.northcoastjournal.com/mailbox/index.html
Website: http://www.northcoastjournal.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2833
Author: Ryan Burns
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
What is Humboldt County best known for? This question was posed to more than 100 non-locals at last weekend's Oyster Festival -- 105, to be exact - -- and if the answer seems painfully obvious -- as it did to most respondents -- well, that's exactly what the folks at the county's Office of Economic Development hope to change with a new digital media project aimed at "rebranding" the Humboldt image. "We're trying to improve the image of the area beyond just pot, and work with local businesses to make this happen," Humboldt County Film and Digital Media Commissioner Mary Cruse told the Journal recently.
Cruse unveiled the "Humboldt Branding Project" to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday with a short speech followed by a film clip. The project, she explained, will yield six three-minute films showcasing aspects of Humboldt County that are overlooked by, or unknown to, the outside world, including our natural beauty, successful small businesses and artistic panache. The message will be delivered 21st century-style, through Web clips posted on sites like YouTube and Facebook.
"The way we consume media is changing," said Economic Development Coordinator Jacqueline Debets in a phone conversation Tuesday. "As much as we try to have the pursuit of happiness without our BlackBerries, YouTube and Facebook is where a lot of people live. We want to be there."
By "pursuit of happiness" Debets wasn't comparing promo Web clips to the Declaration of Independence; rather, it's the nickname for one of nine local "industry clusters" identified by the county's Economic Development Division as areas of growth in the region's economy. The "happiness" cluster includes beer, wine, cheese and flower companies. "That's the one [cluster] where they [the businesses] could really see the immediate benefit to their ability to sell products," Debets said. "That was the perfect place to start."
Debets and others involved in the branding project, including Angie Schwab, an economic development specialist with the county who has been guiding the endeavor, were reluctant to discuss the details, saying not all of the contracts have been signed. Their apprehension to take the project public may also stem from the fact that it's being partially funded through a $44,000 Headwaters Fund grant. Spending from that public nest egg frequently draws public scrutiny and criticism, and since the branding project is "innovative and cutting-edge," Schwab told the Journal on Monday, "I suspect some people will balk." The total cost, including time for staff research and the expense of the production itself, will be $96,000, with a $40,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration as well as $12,000 from the local businesses that will be featured in the clips.
Cruse, for one, is pumped. She described a "Felini-esque" scene to be shot in a local brewery and a wedding scene that will be filmed at a vineyard in Willow Creek. "We have a small, skilled and very creative crew," she said. Their chops were displayed in the short clip shown at Tuesday's Board of Supes meeting: Against a soft instrumental backdrop, a beautiful woman in a sun dress ambles through a field of tall grass. Cut to: waves crashing against a rocky shoreline, sunlight shimmering through a geyser of sea foam. It's a beautiful, professional-looking clip. You can almost hear the calming voice of a narrator intone something like, "Side effects are generally mild and may include ... ."
If the crew hopes to separate Humboldt from its illicit reputation, they have their work cut out for them. This Journal scribe meandered through the Plaza mob during Saturday's mollusk jubilee with a hand-Sharpied sign pinned to his shirt, requesting the perspective of out-of-towners. So what is Humboldt County best known for? The most popular reply was a tie between "marijuana" and "pot," each garnering 25 separate responses. Coming in third with 13 repetitions was "weed." All told, marijuana and its synonyms ( "the chronic," "the green," "smoking" ) accounted for 69 of the 105 replies -- 70 if you count the glassy-eyed gentleman who cracked a satisfied half-smile and said, "ludicrousness." The percentage may well have been higher had everyone been honest. A number of folks looked at their inquisitor like he might be a simpleton, then spat out some malarkey like "the mist," "hot chicks" ( twice on that one ) or "a place between Crescent City and Mendocino."
Granted, this informal survey was conducted on the Arcata Plaza -- essentially the bowl of Humboldt County's bong. But the Oyster Fest draws people from across the country and beyond. The ( sad? ) truth is that, for all our natural beauty and rich history, all our entrepreneurial pluck and artistic prowess, Humboldt's cannabis stigma has proved stickier than the dankest buds.
"I was in St. Croix recently," recalled one Oyster-muncher, "and when I told this guy I was from Humboldt he went, 'Oooh yeah.'"
The label, not to mention the moronic nudge-wink-guffaw that often accompanies it, irks those community members who represent the more respectable endeavors of the region, be it Humboldt State University ( "colleges" got a single Plaza response ), the business community ( "fishing" got two; "the creamery," one; "timber," zilch ) or tourism. Among drug-free responses, "redwood trees" came in first with a mere 10 tally marks, followed by "oysters" with seven and "good people" with three.
But Debets and Cruse aren't worried about the chronic labeling. "Nobody can erase the past imagery or the associations," Cruse said, "but we can work on creating something better." Debets agreed that there's no sense in trying to fight the reputation. "I don't think we have to overcome it," she said, "just move on. ... The dope story is so 20th century."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n654/a10.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jun 2009
Source: North Coast Journal (Arcata, CA)
Copyright: 2009 North Coast Journal
Contact: http://www.northcoastjournal.com/mailbox/index.html
Website: http://www.northcoastjournal.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2833
Author: Ryan Burns
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
UN Drug Czar Urges Canada to Take Action
Gangs Seen As Global Suppliers Of Ecstasy, Amphetamines
WASHINGTON -- The United Nations' drug czar is urging Canada to take action on a UN report that identifies Canadian gangs as the leading suppliers of ecstasy in North America and increasingly proficient producers of methamphetamine for markets around the world.
"Canada has emerged an important hub for ecstasy and amphetamines," Antonio Maria Costa told a news conference Wednesday in the U.S. capital as he released the agency's 2009 World Drug Report.
Costa said the lucrative underground industry of manufacturing amphetamines has migrated north to Canada since both the U.S. and Mexico banned the chemical precursors used to make the drugs.
"These important measures taken by countries inevitably tend to create a problem somewhere else unless similar measures are undertaken," he said.
"So I am inviting Canada to be equally proactive in taking the measures which are preventive strikes to avoid the proliferation of manufacturing of amphetamines in that country."
An anti-gang bill currently before Parliament is being held up by the Liberal majority in the Senate, said Rob Nicholson, Canada's justice minister.
"Under the new legislation, these people are looking at two-year prison terms as a minimum," said Nicholson, who blamed the holdup on Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
"I am asking him to do something, call people, get this bill moving through the system. I am hoping this increases the pressure on him to make this a priority and get this bill passed."
Gil Kerlikowske, U.S. President Barack Obama's drug watchdog, said the UN report isn't likely to lead to any further border security tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
"For quite a while, we've exchanged guns going into Canada for drugs coming back," said Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and a one-time chief of police in the border cities of Seattle and Buffalo.
Law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border are "absolutely committed to working together, to sharing information, and I know the United States is committed to working hard on those border checkpoints."
The UN report found that since 2003-2004, "Canada has emerged as the primary source of ecstasy-group substances for North American markets, and increasingly for other regions."
Before 2003, Europe was the leading producer of U.S.-bound ecstasy, or methylenedioxymethamphetamine ( MDMA ) -- a synthetic, psychoactive drug that produces feelings of increased energy, euphoria and emotional warmth.
But the trade was effectively dismantled, the UN report says, and "Canadian intelligence reports indicate that Canada-based drug trafficking organizations are attempting to fill the supply void, and have drastically increased their ecstasy production and trafficking."
Asian organized crime groups primarily control ecstasy labs in Canada, using chemicals smuggled into the country in sea containers from China.
In 2007, half the ecstasy produced in Canada was destined for markets outside Canada, most of it bound for the U.S., Australia and Japan, the report found. Japan has identified Canada as the single biggest source for seized ecstasy tablets, followed by the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
The report also found Canadian organized crime groups have significantly increased their participation in the meth trade over the past few years.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n654/a06.html
Newshawk: CMAP http://www.mapinc.org/cmap
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jun 2009
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2009 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Lee-Anne Goodman, Associated Press
Referenced: World Drug Report 2009 http://drugsense.org/url/dhSmEL2y
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
WASHINGTON -- The United Nations' drug czar is urging Canada to take action on a UN report that identifies Canadian gangs as the leading suppliers of ecstasy in North America and increasingly proficient producers of methamphetamine for markets around the world.
"Canada has emerged an important hub for ecstasy and amphetamines," Antonio Maria Costa told a news conference Wednesday in the U.S. capital as he released the agency's 2009 World Drug Report.
Costa said the lucrative underground industry of manufacturing amphetamines has migrated north to Canada since both the U.S. and Mexico banned the chemical precursors used to make the drugs.
"These important measures taken by countries inevitably tend to create a problem somewhere else unless similar measures are undertaken," he said.
"So I am inviting Canada to be equally proactive in taking the measures which are preventive strikes to avoid the proliferation of manufacturing of amphetamines in that country."
An anti-gang bill currently before Parliament is being held up by the Liberal majority in the Senate, said Rob Nicholson, Canada's justice minister.
"Under the new legislation, these people are looking at two-year prison terms as a minimum," said Nicholson, who blamed the holdup on Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
"I am asking him to do something, call people, get this bill moving through the system. I am hoping this increases the pressure on him to make this a priority and get this bill passed."
Gil Kerlikowske, U.S. President Barack Obama's drug watchdog, said the UN report isn't likely to lead to any further border security tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
"For quite a while, we've exchanged guns going into Canada for drugs coming back," said Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and a one-time chief of police in the border cities of Seattle and Buffalo.
Law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border are "absolutely committed to working together, to sharing information, and I know the United States is committed to working hard on those border checkpoints."
The UN report found that since 2003-2004, "Canada has emerged as the primary source of ecstasy-group substances for North American markets, and increasingly for other regions."
Before 2003, Europe was the leading producer of U.S.-bound ecstasy, or methylenedioxymethamphetamine ( MDMA ) -- a synthetic, psychoactive drug that produces feelings of increased energy, euphoria and emotional warmth.
But the trade was effectively dismantled, the UN report says, and "Canadian intelligence reports indicate that Canada-based drug trafficking organizations are attempting to fill the supply void, and have drastically increased their ecstasy production and trafficking."
Asian organized crime groups primarily control ecstasy labs in Canada, using chemicals smuggled into the country in sea containers from China.
In 2007, half the ecstasy produced in Canada was destined for markets outside Canada, most of it bound for the U.S., Australia and Japan, the report found. Japan has identified Canada as the single biggest source for seized ecstasy tablets, followed by the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
The report also found Canadian organized crime groups have significantly increased their participation in the meth trade over the past few years.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n654/a06.html
Newshawk: CMAP http://www.mapinc.org/cmap
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jun 2009
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2009 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Lee-Anne Goodman, Associated Press
Referenced: World Drug Report 2009 http://drugsense.org/url/dhSmEL2y
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
Police Get Powers To Deal With Drivers On Drugs
Police will have new powers to deal with drivers on drugs under legislation passed by Parliament tonight.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce said "very disturbing statistics" showed how important it was to bring in the new laws.
He told Parliament Massey University drug researchers carried out surveys which found that 90 per cent of `P' users and 62 per cent of Ecstasy users had driven under the influence of a drug other than alcohol during a six month period.
"Many reported driving too fast, losing concentration, losing their temper at another driver, driving through a red light and nearly hitting something while driving under the influence of a drug," he said.
Mr Joyce said another survey carried out by Environmental Science and Research between 2004 and 2008 found that 257 of 826 deceased drivers had cannabis in their system.
"People who drive while their judgment and reactions are impaired by drugs, and by that I mean both controlled drugs and prescription medicines, are a danger to themselves and other," he said.
"This bill aims to reduce this risk by creating an offence of driving while impaired and with evidence in the bloodstream of a controlled drug or a prescription medicine."
Under the Land Transport Amendment Bill ( No 4 ), which comes into force on December 1, police can decide whether a driver is impaired through a compulsory impairment test.
If the test shows a driver is impaired, it will be followed by a blood test to determine whether drugs are present.
"This bill will provide police with additional tools to get drivers impaired by drugs off the roads before they add to the road toll and injury toll on our roads," Mr Joyce said.
He described the legislation as "just the first step" in dealing with the problem.
"When a practical, affordable drug testing device becomes available that can produce results which can stand up in court, I will be happy to bring legislation to this House to enable it to be used as an enforcement tool," he said.
The bill was drafted by the previous government in 2007 and was taken over by the new government.
Mr Joyce said that when it was drafted, professional advice was that the group of drugs which include valium should not be covered by it.
"Based on evidence I have seen. . .I believe these drugs should have been considered for inclusion," he said.
"I have officials working on this now."
Mr Joyce said if he decided to include that group of drugs he would introduce a special amendment which would change the law before it came into force.
The bill was passed on a unanimous vote.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n655/a06.html
Newshawk: http://www.norml.org.nz
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jun 2009
Source: Dominion Post, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2009 The Dominion Post
Contact: letters@dompost.co.nz
Website: http://www.dompost.co.nz
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2550
Author: NZPA
Transport Minister Steven Joyce said "very disturbing statistics" showed how important it was to bring in the new laws.
He told Parliament Massey University drug researchers carried out surveys which found that 90 per cent of `P' users and 62 per cent of Ecstasy users had driven under the influence of a drug other than alcohol during a six month period.
"Many reported driving too fast, losing concentration, losing their temper at another driver, driving through a red light and nearly hitting something while driving under the influence of a drug," he said.
Mr Joyce said another survey carried out by Environmental Science and Research between 2004 and 2008 found that 257 of 826 deceased drivers had cannabis in their system.
"People who drive while their judgment and reactions are impaired by drugs, and by that I mean both controlled drugs and prescription medicines, are a danger to themselves and other," he said.
"This bill aims to reduce this risk by creating an offence of driving while impaired and with evidence in the bloodstream of a controlled drug or a prescription medicine."
Under the Land Transport Amendment Bill ( No 4 ), which comes into force on December 1, police can decide whether a driver is impaired through a compulsory impairment test.
If the test shows a driver is impaired, it will be followed by a blood test to determine whether drugs are present.
"This bill will provide police with additional tools to get drivers impaired by drugs off the roads before they add to the road toll and injury toll on our roads," Mr Joyce said.
He described the legislation as "just the first step" in dealing with the problem.
"When a practical, affordable drug testing device becomes available that can produce results which can stand up in court, I will be happy to bring legislation to this House to enable it to be used as an enforcement tool," he said.
The bill was drafted by the previous government in 2007 and was taken over by the new government.
Mr Joyce said that when it was drafted, professional advice was that the group of drugs which include valium should not be covered by it.
"Based on evidence I have seen. . .I believe these drugs should have been considered for inclusion," he said.
"I have officials working on this now."
Mr Joyce said if he decided to include that group of drugs he would introduce a special amendment which would change the law before it came into force.
The bill was passed on a unanimous vote.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n655/a06.html
Newshawk: http://www.norml.org.nz
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jun 2009
Source: Dominion Post, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2009 The Dominion Post
Contact: letters@dompost.co.nz
Website: http://www.dompost.co.nz
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2550
Author: NZPA
Pot Establishing Medicinal Niche
Marijuana Dispensaries' Legal Status Remain In Limbo
Now that marijuana can be legally used to ease patients' pain, dispensaries are opening in Spokane to provide it.
And regardless of whether such stores are what Washington voters and legislators envisioned when they allowed medical marijuana, it may only be a matter of time before the businesses are commonplace: Medical marijuana has been approved in more than a dozen states.
The dispensaries' legal status, however, remains hazy.
For Judy, a medical marijuana customer who asked that her last name be withheld, the drug has been a blessing.
She credits it for alleviating the pain from a severe brain trauma and other injuries sustained 12 years ago when a suicidal man rammed his pickup into her car.
The crash severed her leg below the hip.
I remain thankful to be alive," she said.
After years of buying marijuana illegally, Judy now has a doctor's note that says marijuana is a proper medication to ease her pain.
She buys her supply from a shop called Change. It opened two months ago and is run by Christopher Stevens, Noah Zarate and Scott Shupe.
People smoke and buy marijuana at the Northwest Boulevard store, and police know about it. The owners wrote a letter to Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick about their business; her reply stated that her officers are committed to enforcing local, state and federal laws.
Stevens, a candidate for Spokane City Council, took her reply to mean police would not interfere with the business.
Washington voters passed Initiative 692 – the Medical Use of Marijuana Act – in 1998. The Legislature sought to clarify the law in 2007, asking the Department of Health to define a legal and appropriate supply of marijuana. The Health Department determined that a medically authorized person could possess a 60-day supply, or 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana or 15 plants.
Donn Moyer, a Health Department spokesman, said that enforcement of the laws is left to local, state and federal police.
A Health Department Web page – at www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/ medical-marijuana/ – includes a "frequently asked questions" section about medicinal marijuana.
One question: "Is medical marijuana legal in Washington?"
The answer: "Marijuana possession is illegal in Washington." The agency describes the state's medical marijuana law as a legal mechanism that "provides an affirmative defense for qualified patients and designated caregivers."
Regardless of state laws, marijuana is outlawed by the federal government, which does not accept that marijuana has medical benefits.
Another question: "How do I get medical marijuana? Can I buy it?"
The DOH answer: "The law allows a qualifying patient or designated provider to grow medical marijuana. It is not legal to buy or sell it."
The owners of Change interpret the state law differently. They contend they have the right to buy marijuana and resell it to people who have written authorization from their doctors. Stevens said he obtains a wholesale supply of marijuana from local farmers with surplus crops and sells it – sales tax included – at retail prices.
And he urges patients to be careful.
Being able to use marijuana legally as medicine is a privilege," he said. "I tell our patients that it's a privilege that can be lost."
A sale to Judy on Tuesday resembled a typical retail transaction. Stevens described the product, answered questions and made a recommendation based on Judy's questions.
When she settled on what she wanted, Judy pulled $80 from her billfold and handed it to Stevens. He unscrewed a jar lid, fetched 5 grams of a variety called "Snow Cap," weighed it, put it in a baggie and affixed a label urging users to keep the drug out of the reach of children. and cautions that it may cause drowsiness.
Judy said she liked the arrangement.
I like coming here," she said, "because it's private, I trust the source, the service is personal and I don't get hassled by anyone."
She smokes marijuana at least three times a day. She does not work, lives on disability payments and said she has discontinued other pain medications now that marijuana is easier to obtain.
Some patients aren't sure what to buy, so they are offered samples at what co-owner Zarate calls a "taste bar." The rise of such dispensaries may be inevitable.
Display ads tout the benefits of marijuana in this week's issue of the Nickel Nik, under classified listings for puppies, manufactured homes, cemetery plots and yard sales.
An ad by CBR Medical Inc., with clinics across the state including one at 3115 E. Mission Ave., claims marijuana can alleviate pain associated with many conditions, including epilepsy, AIDS and fibromyalgia.
Stevens said the next move for medical marijuana will be a push to force insurers – including the government's Medicare and Medicaid programs – to pay much like they do for prescription drug coverage.
That has to happen," he said.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n655/a02.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jun 2009
Source: Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)
Copyright: 2009 The Spokesman-Review
Contact: editor@spokesman.com
Website: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/417
Page: A1
Author: John Stucke
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Now that marijuana can be legally used to ease patients' pain, dispensaries are opening in Spokane to provide it.
And regardless of whether such stores are what Washington voters and legislators envisioned when they allowed medical marijuana, it may only be a matter of time before the businesses are commonplace: Medical marijuana has been approved in more than a dozen states.
The dispensaries' legal status, however, remains hazy.
For Judy, a medical marijuana customer who asked that her last name be withheld, the drug has been a blessing.
She credits it for alleviating the pain from a severe brain trauma and other injuries sustained 12 years ago when a suicidal man rammed his pickup into her car.
The crash severed her leg below the hip.
I remain thankful to be alive," she said.
After years of buying marijuana illegally, Judy now has a doctor's note that says marijuana is a proper medication to ease her pain.
She buys her supply from a shop called Change. It opened two months ago and is run by Christopher Stevens, Noah Zarate and Scott Shupe.
People smoke and buy marijuana at the Northwest Boulevard store, and police know about it. The owners wrote a letter to Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick about their business; her reply stated that her officers are committed to enforcing local, state and federal laws.
Stevens, a candidate for Spokane City Council, took her reply to mean police would not interfere with the business.
Washington voters passed Initiative 692 – the Medical Use of Marijuana Act – in 1998. The Legislature sought to clarify the law in 2007, asking the Department of Health to define a legal and appropriate supply of marijuana. The Health Department determined that a medically authorized person could possess a 60-day supply, or 1 1/2 pounds of marijuana or 15 plants.
Donn Moyer, a Health Department spokesman, said that enforcement of the laws is left to local, state and federal police.
A Health Department Web page – at www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/ medical-marijuana/ – includes a "frequently asked questions" section about medicinal marijuana.
One question: "Is medical marijuana legal in Washington?"
The answer: "Marijuana possession is illegal in Washington." The agency describes the state's medical marijuana law as a legal mechanism that "provides an affirmative defense for qualified patients and designated caregivers."
Regardless of state laws, marijuana is outlawed by the federal government, which does not accept that marijuana has medical benefits.
Another question: "How do I get medical marijuana? Can I buy it?"
The DOH answer: "The law allows a qualifying patient or designated provider to grow medical marijuana. It is not legal to buy or sell it."
The owners of Change interpret the state law differently. They contend they have the right to buy marijuana and resell it to people who have written authorization from their doctors. Stevens said he obtains a wholesale supply of marijuana from local farmers with surplus crops and sells it – sales tax included – at retail prices.
And he urges patients to be careful.
Being able to use marijuana legally as medicine is a privilege," he said. "I tell our patients that it's a privilege that can be lost."
A sale to Judy on Tuesday resembled a typical retail transaction. Stevens described the product, answered questions and made a recommendation based on Judy's questions.
When she settled on what she wanted, Judy pulled $80 from her billfold and handed it to Stevens. He unscrewed a jar lid, fetched 5 grams of a variety called "Snow Cap," weighed it, put it in a baggie and affixed a label urging users to keep the drug out of the reach of children. and cautions that it may cause drowsiness.
Judy said she liked the arrangement.
I like coming here," she said, "because it's private, I trust the source, the service is personal and I don't get hassled by anyone."
She smokes marijuana at least three times a day. She does not work, lives on disability payments and said she has discontinued other pain medications now that marijuana is easier to obtain.
Some patients aren't sure what to buy, so they are offered samples at what co-owner Zarate calls a "taste bar." The rise of such dispensaries may be inevitable.
Display ads tout the benefits of marijuana in this week's issue of the Nickel Nik, under classified listings for puppies, manufactured homes, cemetery plots and yard sales.
An ad by CBR Medical Inc., with clinics across the state including one at 3115 E. Mission Ave., claims marijuana can alleviate pain associated with many conditions, including epilepsy, AIDS and fibromyalgia.
Stevens said the next move for medical marijuana will be a push to force insurers – including the government's Medicare and Medicaid programs – to pay much like they do for prescription drug coverage.
That has to happen," he said.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n655/a02.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jun 2009
Source: Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)
Copyright: 2009 The Spokesman-Review
Contact: editor@spokesman.com
Website: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/417
Page: A1
Author: John Stucke
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Medical Marijuana Bill Now Going To Lynch
CONCORD - With House and Senate passage of a medical marijuana bill, it is up to Gov. John Lynch to decide whether critically and terminally ill patients will have access to the drug.
The Senate voted 14-10 and the House voted 232-108 to pass a compromise bill version of HB 648.
Lynch said he has not reviewed the latest form of the bill, so does not know if he will sign it.
"My concern all along has been the cultivation and distribution of it, not its dispensation to people who need it," he said. "I'll be looking at the bill very carefully and using that test as I review it as to whether or not to go forward with the bill."
HB 648 sets up a system of three so-called compassion centers where marijuana would be grown. The non-profit centers can distribute up to two ounces of marijuana every 10 days to each patient certified by the state and their doctor.
Patients have to be suffering debilitating or terminal illness, or severe symptoms of chemotherapy or other treatment. Qualifying ailments include cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease and multiple sclerosis.
Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, said she thinks 150 patients would qualify each year. After two years, two more non-profit centers could open, she said.
Thirteen states have changed their laws to allow medical use of marijuana, although it is still illegal under federal law.
Rep. David Hess, R-Hooksett, argued against the bill yesterday during debate, saying "every act authorized by this bill ... is a violation of federal criminal law." He said the bill wrongly allows compassion centers to be located within 500 feet of a school.
Democratic Floor Leader Rep. Daniel Eaton of Stoddard said the bill is the most restrictive in the country.
"Sick people should be called patients, not criminals," he said. "I believe our friends and neighbors going through darkest most painful hours of their lives should be afforded the same compassion and humanity that is afforded them in 13 other states."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n655/a09.html
Newshawk: Just Say Know: http://www.efsdp.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jun 2009
Source: Union Leader (Manchester, NH)
Copyright: 2009 The Union Leader Corp.
Contact: letters@unionleader.com
Website: http://www.theunionleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/761
Note: Out-of-state letters are seldom published.
Author: Tom Fahey
The Senate voted 14-10 and the House voted 232-108 to pass a compromise bill version of HB 648.
Lynch said he has not reviewed the latest form of the bill, so does not know if he will sign it.
"My concern all along has been the cultivation and distribution of it, not its dispensation to people who need it," he said. "I'll be looking at the bill very carefully and using that test as I review it as to whether or not to go forward with the bill."
HB 648 sets up a system of three so-called compassion centers where marijuana would be grown. The non-profit centers can distribute up to two ounces of marijuana every 10 days to each patient certified by the state and their doctor.
Patients have to be suffering debilitating or terminal illness, or severe symptoms of chemotherapy or other treatment. Qualifying ailments include cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease and multiple sclerosis.
Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua, said she thinks 150 patients would qualify each year. After two years, two more non-profit centers could open, she said.
Thirteen states have changed their laws to allow medical use of marijuana, although it is still illegal under federal law.
Rep. David Hess, R-Hooksett, argued against the bill yesterday during debate, saying "every act authorized by this bill ... is a violation of federal criminal law." He said the bill wrongly allows compassion centers to be located within 500 feet of a school.
Democratic Floor Leader Rep. Daniel Eaton of Stoddard said the bill is the most restrictive in the country.
"Sick people should be called patients, not criminals," he said. "I believe our friends and neighbors going through darkest most painful hours of their lives should be afforded the same compassion and humanity that is afforded them in 13 other states."
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n655/a09.html
Newshawk: Just Say Know: http://www.efsdp.org
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jun 2009
Source: Union Leader (Manchester, NH)
Copyright: 2009 The Union Leader Corp.
Contact: letters@unionleader.com
Website: http://www.theunionleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/761
Note: Out-of-state letters are seldom published.
Author: Tom Fahey
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
US HI: Anti-Drug Coordinator Aims To Save Lives
ANTI-DRUG COORDINATOR AIMS TO SAVE LIVES
Theresa Koki And Volunteers Carry Out Plan
Some 80 to 90 percent of all crimes committed on Kaua'i are drug related. This is according to a Drug Response Plan covering 2008-2013 and generated to serve as a guide for agencies who work with youth and adults, especially those struggling with substance abuse.
And who knows those statistics better than mayoral appointee, Anti-Drug Coordinator Theresa Koki? Stepping into her third year as what some jokingly call her anti-drug "Czarina" position, Koki's office faces the same economic gloom as the rest of the nation.
And the good news? Koki and her cadre of about 100 volunteers, plus a new Americorps volunteer worker carry on. Good thing Koki is a glass half-full kind of person, because witnessing drug addiction or abuse is stressful, and she deals with it every day.
"It affects almost every family," says Koki. "It's such an ugly addiction and turns normal people into different people, ruins families and communities. I actually had a hard time keeping staff here because of what it takes to take care of it and at least try to fight it."
The Drug Response Plan addresses four interconnected components of the problem identified and addressed in the first response plan initiated during the late Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste's administration: prevention, treatment, integration and enforcement. In the process of working these four elements, Koki forms community partnerships, working with nonprofit community organizations to help get funding to continue what's working while managing grants and working with school students.
Her work is all across the board. Ideally, having a healthy budget for prevention would help nip some of the drug - and alcohol - abuse and addiction in the bud.
"If you do prevention up front, you don't have to do as much on the other end," says Koki.
An example of prevention programming is Waele A Ola Hou, meaning, literally, to take out and replenish. It's based on a federal program that goes by the name "Weed and Seed," meaning just what it says - rip out the unwanted stuff and plant anew.
But Kaua'i didn't meet population requirements for the federal funding, so Koki's office got it elsewhere and had Waele A Ola Hou going in three communities - Kekaha, Hanama'ulu and Kilauea.
Hanama'ulu worked with the Parks and Recreation Department to remove illegal campers, spruce the place up and have a celebration to let families know they're welcome and all can work to keep it safe.
It's community-building and some take issue with spending money that way, but building community is what prevention is all about, Koki said. Communities have held neighborhood walks to take back the streets, so to speak, met, mingled and gotten healthy in the process.
Koki points to her office's involvement in partnering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, three of which are going on between Kapa'a Elementary and High School. And Koki and at least 10 other county employees are sistering and brothering with kids at Wilcox Elementary - they call each other lunch buddies.
"The fact that they have someone coming over to talk to them is exciting," she says. "It's actually a stress release for me to go over and talk with them."
One of the most dramatic prevention programs is called Shattered Dreams, a mock drunk driver crash a year in the planning and enacted over two days at a different public high school each year. Students in the enactment play various roles; all go away overnight for a retreat, some of them tapped by the Grim Reaper.
"I cannot do one without crying," says Koki.
Treatment is a vital part of the Drug Response Plan. The notion of sending youth off to another island doesn't sit well with people who are in the business of knowing what works.
"We send our kids off island and their families are here and the family falls apart," says Koki. "We need to heal together.
"The community needs to be educated. If we're saying yes, we need a treatment center, but don't put in my backyard, they need to understand it IS already in their backyard - people are using."
Welcoming former users back into the community - integration - and enforcement are the remaining key elements to the Drug Response Plan.
Says Koki, "If I can save one life every day, I think I've done my job. You don't hear about it right away, but I've known a lot of success stories, and if that person can help another person then it's a chain reaction."
To download the Drug Response Plan, go to www.kauai.gov/antidrug ; for more information or to volunteer, contact Koki at tkoki@kauai.gov or 241.4925.
pass drug testing
drug test
pass a drug test
how to pass your drug test
pass drug testing
Theresa Koki And Volunteers Carry Out Plan
Some 80 to 90 percent of all crimes committed on Kaua'i are drug related. This is according to a Drug Response Plan covering 2008-2013 and generated to serve as a guide for agencies who work with youth and adults, especially those struggling with substance abuse.
And who knows those statistics better than mayoral appointee, Anti-Drug Coordinator Theresa Koki? Stepping into her third year as what some jokingly call her anti-drug "Czarina" position, Koki's office faces the same economic gloom as the rest of the nation.
And the good news? Koki and her cadre of about 100 volunteers, plus a new Americorps volunteer worker carry on. Good thing Koki is a glass half-full kind of person, because witnessing drug addiction or abuse is stressful, and she deals with it every day.
"It affects almost every family," says Koki. "It's such an ugly addiction and turns normal people into different people, ruins families and communities. I actually had a hard time keeping staff here because of what it takes to take care of it and at least try to fight it."
The Drug Response Plan addresses four interconnected components of the problem identified and addressed in the first response plan initiated during the late Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste's administration: prevention, treatment, integration and enforcement. In the process of working these four elements, Koki forms community partnerships, working with nonprofit community organizations to help get funding to continue what's working while managing grants and working with school students.
Her work is all across the board. Ideally, having a healthy budget for prevention would help nip some of the drug - and alcohol - abuse and addiction in the bud.
"If you do prevention up front, you don't have to do as much on the other end," says Koki.
An example of prevention programming is Waele A Ola Hou, meaning, literally, to take out and replenish. It's based on a federal program that goes by the name "Weed and Seed," meaning just what it says - rip out the unwanted stuff and plant anew.
But Kaua'i didn't meet population requirements for the federal funding, so Koki's office got it elsewhere and had Waele A Ola Hou going in three communities - Kekaha, Hanama'ulu and Kilauea.
Hanama'ulu worked with the Parks and Recreation Department to remove illegal campers, spruce the place up and have a celebration to let families know they're welcome and all can work to keep it safe.
It's community-building and some take issue with spending money that way, but building community is what prevention is all about, Koki said. Communities have held neighborhood walks to take back the streets, so to speak, met, mingled and gotten healthy in the process.
Koki points to her office's involvement in partnering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, three of which are going on between Kapa'a Elementary and High School. And Koki and at least 10 other county employees are sistering and brothering with kids at Wilcox Elementary - they call each other lunch buddies.
"The fact that they have someone coming over to talk to them is exciting," she says. "It's actually a stress release for me to go over and talk with them."
One of the most dramatic prevention programs is called Shattered Dreams, a mock drunk driver crash a year in the planning and enacted over two days at a different public high school each year. Students in the enactment play various roles; all go away overnight for a retreat, some of them tapped by the Grim Reaper.
"I cannot do one without crying," says Koki.
Treatment is a vital part of the Drug Response Plan. The notion of sending youth off to another island doesn't sit well with people who are in the business of knowing what works.
"We send our kids off island and their families are here and the family falls apart," says Koki. "We need to heal together.
"The community needs to be educated. If we're saying yes, we need a treatment center, but don't put in my backyard, they need to understand it IS already in their backyard - people are using."
Welcoming former users back into the community - integration - and enforcement are the remaining key elements to the Drug Response Plan.
Says Koki, "If I can save one life every day, I think I've done my job. You don't hear about it right away, but I've known a lot of success stories, and if that person can help another person then it's a chain reaction."
To download the Drug Response Plan, go to www.kauai.gov/antidrug ; for more information or to volunteer, contact Koki at tkoki@kauai.gov or 241.4925.
pass drug testing
drug test
pass a drug test
how to pass your drug test
pass drug testing
Friday, February 06, 2009
CN BC: Abbotsford Forum Tackles Gang Crime
ABBOTSFORD FORUM TACKLES GANG CRIME
Hundreds of Abbotsford residents packed the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium last night, to voice their frustration about crime and violence in the city to Mayor George Peary and Police Chief Bob Rich.
The community safety forum was organized following a rash of shootings in Abbotsford in recent weeks.
The most flagrant shooting was a murder attempt on alleged gangster James Bacon, which saw bullets fly in broad daylight in the middle of a busy intersection.
Chief Bob Rich outlined his strategy to make Abbotsford the safest city in B.C.
Rich said the number one priority of the Abbotsford Police department is to suppress gang crime and reduce violent crime.
Gang activity, violence, and the flow of illegal firearms across the U.S. border has exceeded police capability to respond.
"We're not doing enough yet and more needs to be done," said Rich.
"There are way too many guns out there and that's a huge problem for us. Our response has not yet been appropriate."
The APD is taking steps to increase public safety, such as targeting urban marijuana grow operations, monitoring gang members and contributing officers to provincial integrated teams battling organized crime.
Abbotsford Police have also taken extraordinary measures to reduce the threat that the Bacon brothers pose to public safety, said Rich.
"We are up [at the Bacon family home] on a nightly basis. We are aggressively monitoring their bail release conditions and doing nightly curfew checks," said Rich.
The APD has made over 200 visits to the home in an east Abbotsford neighbourhood, which is also monitored by police surveillance cameras.
Specially trained officers will also start tailing the Bacons in a marked car, and the brothers have been banned from attending any city facilities.
Abbotsford brothers James, Jarrod and Jonathan Bacon are the subject of an extraordinary public warning issued by police who warned that anyone associating with the trio could be in jeopardy as they were targets of a murder plot by rival gangsters.
The warning was issued in May 2008, following the arrest of James, 23, and Jarrod, 25, in connection with two separate RCMP firearms investigations.
The pair are charged with numerous weapons offences.
As an additional measure, police want Abbotsford businesses such as gyms, restaurants, and car leasing companies to refuse service to known gangsters, said Rich, to robust applause from the audience.
Business owners aren't expected to eject the gangsters themselves but can call 911 to get police assistance.
"We want to work with you not to provide services to them in Abbotsford because it's a huge risk."
Car lease agreements to gangsters have already been revoked in some cases, he said.
"We have been going to car rental agencies and informing them of who they are renting to, and asking them to not to rent cars to these people."
Abbotsford residents also provided police and city council with feedback about how to tackle gang violence, property crime and homelessness within the community.
Suggestions included stronger sentencing, youth prevention programs, increasing the number of shelters for the homeless, stronger enforcement of city bylaws, and legalizing drugs.
The families of two innocent bystanders murdered in the gangland slaying in a Surrey apartment tower in October 2007 spoke at the forum.
Abbotsford resident Ed Schellenberg and Surrey teen Chris Mohan were killed along with four gang associates.
Schellenberg's brother-in-law, Steve Brown, said the provincial government has failed to administer justice and the courts shouldn't be releasing anyone who poses a risk to the public.
"There are people who are out on the streets who in any other jurisdiction in the world would be locked up," he said.
Mohan's mother, Eileen, thanked residents and organizers for the public forum.
"We lived very innocently beside gang members," she said, adding criminals have more rights than ordinary people.
"Seeing each one of you here tells me you won't stand for gang violence . . . seeing you all here encourages me we don't stand alone."
The mayor thanked Mohan for her courage.
He is planning to set up a crime task force with community stakeholders to get a handle on crime in the community.
However, every citizen had a role to play, said Peary.
"As you leave here tonight, I'm asking you to resolve to make a difference. Community safety is not just a police issue but a community issue."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n131/a11.html?1140
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Hundreds of Abbotsford residents packed the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium last night, to voice their frustration about crime and violence in the city to Mayor George Peary and Police Chief Bob Rich.
The community safety forum was organized following a rash of shootings in Abbotsford in recent weeks.
The most flagrant shooting was a murder attempt on alleged gangster James Bacon, which saw bullets fly in broad daylight in the middle of a busy intersection.
Chief Bob Rich outlined his strategy to make Abbotsford the safest city in B.C.
Rich said the number one priority of the Abbotsford Police department is to suppress gang crime and reduce violent crime.
Gang activity, violence, and the flow of illegal firearms across the U.S. border has exceeded police capability to respond.
"We're not doing enough yet and more needs to be done," said Rich.
"There are way too many guns out there and that's a huge problem for us. Our response has not yet been appropriate."
The APD is taking steps to increase public safety, such as targeting urban marijuana grow operations, monitoring gang members and contributing officers to provincial integrated teams battling organized crime.
Abbotsford Police have also taken extraordinary measures to reduce the threat that the Bacon brothers pose to public safety, said Rich.
"We are up [at the Bacon family home] on a nightly basis. We are aggressively monitoring their bail release conditions and doing nightly curfew checks," said Rich.
The APD has made over 200 visits to the home in an east Abbotsford neighbourhood, which is also monitored by police surveillance cameras.
Specially trained officers will also start tailing the Bacons in a marked car, and the brothers have been banned from attending any city facilities.
Abbotsford brothers James, Jarrod and Jonathan Bacon are the subject of an extraordinary public warning issued by police who warned that anyone associating with the trio could be in jeopardy as they were targets of a murder plot by rival gangsters.
The warning was issued in May 2008, following the arrest of James, 23, and Jarrod, 25, in connection with two separate RCMP firearms investigations.
The pair are charged with numerous weapons offences.
As an additional measure, police want Abbotsford businesses such as gyms, restaurants, and car leasing companies to refuse service to known gangsters, said Rich, to robust applause from the audience.
Business owners aren't expected to eject the gangsters themselves but can call 911 to get police assistance.
"We want to work with you not to provide services to them in Abbotsford because it's a huge risk."
Car lease agreements to gangsters have already been revoked in some cases, he said.
"We have been going to car rental agencies and informing them of who they are renting to, and asking them to not to rent cars to these people."
Abbotsford residents also provided police and city council with feedback about how to tackle gang violence, property crime and homelessness within the community.
Suggestions included stronger sentencing, youth prevention programs, increasing the number of shelters for the homeless, stronger enforcement of city bylaws, and legalizing drugs.
The families of two innocent bystanders murdered in the gangland slaying in a Surrey apartment tower in October 2007 spoke at the forum.
Abbotsford resident Ed Schellenberg and Surrey teen Chris Mohan were killed along with four gang associates.
Schellenberg's brother-in-law, Steve Brown, said the provincial government has failed to administer justice and the courts shouldn't be releasing anyone who poses a risk to the public.
"There are people who are out on the streets who in any other jurisdiction in the world would be locked up," he said.
Mohan's mother, Eileen, thanked residents and organizers for the public forum.
"We lived very innocently beside gang members," she said, adding criminals have more rights than ordinary people.
"Seeing each one of you here tells me you won't stand for gang violence . . . seeing you all here encourages me we don't stand alone."
The mayor thanked Mohan for her courage.
He is planning to set up a crime task force with community stakeholders to get a handle on crime in the community.
However, every citizen had a role to play, said Peary.
"As you leave here tonight, I'm asking you to resolve to make a difference. Community safety is not just a police issue but a community issue."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n131/a11.html?1140
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
US TX: Teacher's Drug Charge Isn't a Simple Issue
TEACHER'S DRUG CHARGE ISN'T A SIMPLE ISSUE
Students at Roberts Elementary School learned a harsh lesson Jan. 13. That was the day the Houston Independent School District dispatched its drug-sniffing dog to check the school's teacher parking lot.
The search at Roberts was part of a larger HISD crackdown. A month before, after a string of teachers were arrested on drug charges, Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra announced plans to have a dog sniff every teacher parking lot in the district -- never mind whether anyone thought the school had a drug problem.
And no one thought Roberts Elementary had a drug problem -- or, for that matter, any real problem at all. Roberts, near the Texas Medical Center, is a sweet, safe-feeling place, full of kids' art and parent volunteers.
Roberts is on Texas Monthly's list of the best public schools in the state and in 2008 won six Gold Performance Awards from the Texas Education Agency. An International Baccalaureate school, it teaches its kids to think in complex ways. It's a school that works.
But on that Tuesday morning, just before lunch, Roberts suddenly had a problem. After two false alarms, the dog pointed to the last car anyone at Roberts would have expected: the car belonging to beloved art teacher Mindy Herrick.
Teacher Of The Year
Herrick, 59, has taught at Roberts for 17 years. Parents describe her as "inspirational," "talented" and "loving."
She comes to work early so kids can finish projects they didn't have time to complete in class. So many kids wanted to join her after-school art club that it had to be restricted to fifth-graders. More than one parent tells how she dropped by a student's house, bearing art books that she thought might be of interest.
She's a ferocious doubles tennis player, nationally ranked, so fanatical about her game that she hesitated a year before taking cholesterol meds that her doctor prescribed.
In 1995 and 1999, Herrick was Roberts' teacher of the year. For 2005-06, she was teacher of the year for HISD's entire Central District. And in 2009, she was busted.
In the middle of a class, police escorted her from her classroom. After she unlocked her car, police found a baggie with two Xanax pills.
Herrick said she has no idea how the pills got into her car, which other people in her family drive.
But no matter. She was hauled away from the school she loves in the back of a squad car and charged with possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school. If convicted of that third-degree felony, she could serve two to 10 years in prison.
Heart On The Door
Roberts parents have started a legal-defense fund, and they're organizing to provide hundreds of character witnesses. Herrick's classroom door is covered with kids' drawings. "We love you, Ms. Herrick!" says one with a big heart. In big letters, another declares, "We miss you!"
Her lawyer, Kent Schaffer, expects the grand jury to no-bill her. A drug screen showed that she had no Xanax in her system, he says. She passed a lie-detector test showing that she knows nothing about the pills. And she's asked for the baggie to be fingerprinted, to prove that she never touched it.
But for now, she's stuck in paid administrative leave, a busywork limbo. Her students miss her fiercely. And parents worry that, betrayed by the school district she served so well and so long, she may never return.
When talking with their kids, some parents try to turn Herrick's arrest into a civics lesson.
They explain that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
They explain that there's an enormous difference between dealing heroin and unknowingly having a couple of prescription pills in your glove box.
They explain that though the school district must fight drugs, a zero-tolerance witch hunt can damage the school it was intended to protect.
Probably some of the kids understand all that. They're International Baccalaureate students, after all. They've been taught to handle complexity.
Unfortunately, you can't say the same of their school district.
ref: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n123/a09.html?1119
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Students at Roberts Elementary School learned a harsh lesson Jan. 13. That was the day the Houston Independent School District dispatched its drug-sniffing dog to check the school's teacher parking lot.
The search at Roberts was part of a larger HISD crackdown. A month before, after a string of teachers were arrested on drug charges, Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra announced plans to have a dog sniff every teacher parking lot in the district -- never mind whether anyone thought the school had a drug problem.
And no one thought Roberts Elementary had a drug problem -- or, for that matter, any real problem at all. Roberts, near the Texas Medical Center, is a sweet, safe-feeling place, full of kids' art and parent volunteers.
Roberts is on Texas Monthly's list of the best public schools in the state and in 2008 won six Gold Performance Awards from the Texas Education Agency. An International Baccalaureate school, it teaches its kids to think in complex ways. It's a school that works.
But on that Tuesday morning, just before lunch, Roberts suddenly had a problem. After two false alarms, the dog pointed to the last car anyone at Roberts would have expected: the car belonging to beloved art teacher Mindy Herrick.
Teacher Of The Year
Herrick, 59, has taught at Roberts for 17 years. Parents describe her as "inspirational," "talented" and "loving."
She comes to work early so kids can finish projects they didn't have time to complete in class. So many kids wanted to join her after-school art club that it had to be restricted to fifth-graders. More than one parent tells how she dropped by a student's house, bearing art books that she thought might be of interest.
She's a ferocious doubles tennis player, nationally ranked, so fanatical about her game that she hesitated a year before taking cholesterol meds that her doctor prescribed.
In 1995 and 1999, Herrick was Roberts' teacher of the year. For 2005-06, she was teacher of the year for HISD's entire Central District. And in 2009, she was busted.
In the middle of a class, police escorted her from her classroom. After she unlocked her car, police found a baggie with two Xanax pills.
Herrick said she has no idea how the pills got into her car, which other people in her family drive.
But no matter. She was hauled away from the school she loves in the back of a squad car and charged with possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school. If convicted of that third-degree felony, she could serve two to 10 years in prison.
Heart On The Door
Roberts parents have started a legal-defense fund, and they're organizing to provide hundreds of character witnesses. Herrick's classroom door is covered with kids' drawings. "We love you, Ms. Herrick!" says one with a big heart. In big letters, another declares, "We miss you!"
Her lawyer, Kent Schaffer, expects the grand jury to no-bill her. A drug screen showed that she had no Xanax in her system, he says. She passed a lie-detector test showing that she knows nothing about the pills. And she's asked for the baggie to be fingerprinted, to prove that she never touched it.
But for now, she's stuck in paid administrative leave, a busywork limbo. Her students miss her fiercely. And parents worry that, betrayed by the school district she served so well and so long, she may never return.
When talking with their kids, some parents try to turn Herrick's arrest into a civics lesson.
They explain that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
They explain that there's an enormous difference between dealing heroin and unknowingly having a couple of prescription pills in your glove box.
They explain that though the school district must fight drugs, a zero-tolerance witch hunt can damage the school it was intended to protect.
Probably some of the kids understand all that. They're International Baccalaureate students, after all. They've been taught to handle complexity.
Unfortunately, you can't say the same of their school district.
ref: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n123/a09.html?1119
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Friday, February 15, 2008
HAILEY TO VOTE AGAIN ON LEGALIZING MARIJUANA?
City Clerk Sets New Election for May 27
Hailey's electorate gets to do it all over again--vote on four new citizen-driven initiatives to legalize marijuana within the city limits.
Probably. Unless something happens to derail the whole thing.
Hailey City Attorney Ned Williamson is doing legal research to see if three of the four can be knocked off the ballot, and pro-marijuana advocate Ryan Davidson said he's willing to withdraw the initiatives if the Hailey City Council will make an earnest effort to negotiate with him.
The initiatives are not exactly new. They are identical to four marijuana initiatives that were placed before the electorate on Nov. 6, 2007. Three were approved and the other was rejected.
City Clerk Heather Dawson informed the City Council Monday night that Davidson's new initiative petitions have been certified and she's scheduled the election for May 27. The council had little choice but to approve.
City Councilman Fritz Haemmerle grumbled a little anyway.
"If you keep accommodating each and every time, you're going to have election, after election, after election," Haemmerle said.
Davidson, chairman of The Liberty Lobby of Idaho, filed his new petitions on Jan. 22 after learning that city officials planned to file a lawsuit in 5th District Court seeking a declaratory judgement on the three initiatives approved on Nov. 6. All three have provisions that appear to conflict with state and federal law.
"I kind of assumed that the council would do something like this," Davidson said.
Approved in November were initiatives to legalize medical use of marijuana, to legalize industrial use of hemp and to make enforcement of marijuana laws the lowest priority for the Hailey Police Department. Click for more information about our internet advertising program
Rejected was an initiative to give the city the authority to tax and regulate sales and use of marijuana within the city limits.
Davidson said a declaratory judgement against the three approved initiatives cannot keep the four new initiatives off the ballot.
The Idaho Supreme Court ruled in September 2006 that voters have the right to vote on citizen-driven initiatives regardless of the appearance of illegality. Davidson brought that lawsuit to the high court over similar marijuana legalization initiative petitions that he submitted to the city of Sun Valley.
Despite a long history of legal battles with municipalities in the Wood River Valley, Davidson said he's willing to extend an olive branch to the Hailey City Council.
"I would be willing to make the offer to the city," Davidson said. "That if they would be willing to sit down and negotiate a way to implement the spirit of the original initiatives, if they would at least make a good faith effort to do that, then I would rescind the new petitions so they wouldn't have to be voted on again."
Thus far, the City Council has shown no such inclination.
Williamson told the council Monday that the three approved initiatives are now city ordinances and he's going to research the possibility that they can be removed from the ballot because they are already law.
As in the previous election, the council decided to print the initiatives in their entirety on the ballot rather than try to summarize them.
"I'd like to think that the citizens would read it this time," said Councilwoman Martha Burke.
"After what happened last time, maybe they'll read the fine print," said Councilman Don Keirn.
The election would cost the city about $4,000, not including staff time.
Hailey's electorate gets to do it all over again--vote on four new citizen-driven initiatives to legalize marijuana within the city limits.
Probably. Unless something happens to derail the whole thing.
Hailey City Attorney Ned Williamson is doing legal research to see if three of the four can be knocked off the ballot, and pro-marijuana advocate Ryan Davidson said he's willing to withdraw the initiatives if the Hailey City Council will make an earnest effort to negotiate with him.
The initiatives are not exactly new. They are identical to four marijuana initiatives that were placed before the electorate on Nov. 6, 2007. Three were approved and the other was rejected.
City Clerk Heather Dawson informed the City Council Monday night that Davidson's new initiative petitions have been certified and she's scheduled the election for May 27. The council had little choice but to approve.
City Councilman Fritz Haemmerle grumbled a little anyway.
"If you keep accommodating each and every time, you're going to have election, after election, after election," Haemmerle said.
Davidson, chairman of The Liberty Lobby of Idaho, filed his new petitions on Jan. 22 after learning that city officials planned to file a lawsuit in 5th District Court seeking a declaratory judgement on the three initiatives approved on Nov. 6. All three have provisions that appear to conflict with state and federal law.
"I kind of assumed that the council would do something like this," Davidson said.
Approved in November were initiatives to legalize medical use of marijuana, to legalize industrial use of hemp and to make enforcement of marijuana laws the lowest priority for the Hailey Police Department. Click for more information about our internet advertising program
Rejected was an initiative to give the city the authority to tax and regulate sales and use of marijuana within the city limits.
Davidson said a declaratory judgement against the three approved initiatives cannot keep the four new initiatives off the ballot.
The Idaho Supreme Court ruled in September 2006 that voters have the right to vote on citizen-driven initiatives regardless of the appearance of illegality. Davidson brought that lawsuit to the high court over similar marijuana legalization initiative petitions that he submitted to the city of Sun Valley.
Despite a long history of legal battles with municipalities in the Wood River Valley, Davidson said he's willing to extend an olive branch to the Hailey City Council.
"I would be willing to make the offer to the city," Davidson said. "That if they would be willing to sit down and negotiate a way to implement the spirit of the original initiatives, if they would at least make a good faith effort to do that, then I would rescind the new petitions so they wouldn't have to be voted on again."
Thus far, the City Council has shown no such inclination.
Williamson told the council Monday that the three approved initiatives are now city ordinances and he's going to research the possibility that they can be removed from the ballot because they are already law.
As in the previous election, the council decided to print the initiatives in their entirety on the ballot rather than try to summarize them.
"I'd like to think that the citizens would read it this time," said Councilwoman Martha Burke.
"After what happened last time, maybe they'll read the fine print," said Councilman Don Keirn.
The election would cost the city about $4,000, not including staff time.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
COULD TEACHERS BE DRUG TESTED?
CHEYENNE - Laramie County School District 1 does not have a policy to randomly test teachers for drugs.
Whether it could happen rests more with decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court than the school district.
Last week, federal authorities arrested a teacher and a teacher's assistant in Cheyenne on drug-related charges.
In light of that, LCSD1 will review how it supervises, hires, evaluates and monitors employees, Superintendent Ted Adams said Tuesday. "We need to review all our processes," he said.
Officials also will look at whether it would be possible to randomly test employees, he added, noting there have been barriers to doing that in the past.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in different cases that subjecting government employees to random tests violates their privacy and creates unlawful search and seizure.
John Lyttle, LCSD1 assistant superintendent of human resources, has asked lawyers for the district to review the question.
Adams said that if it's legally feasible to move forward with a drug-testing policy, the district could do so.
"The district is devastated by any kind of allegation like this," Adams said.
"I clearly, from my personal perspective, would be happy to have drug testing" of everyone in the district on a random basis, Adams said. "But there are challenges associated with doing that kind of testing," he said, referring to past court decisions.
The district "clearly needs to look at the options to protect children and to protect the institution and build our trust with parents," he added.
LCSD1 does drug and alcohol tests on employees for cause. The district can test employees if there is a suspicion of drug use.
If a person refuses to take the test for cause, it's considered a positive test. The employee is subject to discipline, including firing, Lyttle said.
Federal law requires districts to randomly test bus drivers or any employee who transports children, Lyttle added.
Coming up with a random drug-testing policy is a job beyond the scope of the superintendent or school boards, Adams said. It would take enabling legislation at the state and national levels.
But the local district can raise the question, Adams said.
Random testing would not be a solution in itself, he cautioned. The practice wouldn't catch drug dealers who aren't users.
District officials hire the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation to do background checks before the district hires someone. LCSD1 officials also check a registry to screen potential employees for child abuse.
LCSD1 Trustee Al Atkins does not favor random drug testing for employees. He said he doesn't think it is necessary.
"If we had a problem, I'd be in favor of it," he said.
But Trustee Dale Vosler supports testing everyone, from the top on down. Whether it could happen depends on what the law will allow, he added.
"I think it is something the board certainly needs to discuss with Ted ( Adams )," board Chairwoman Jan Stalcup said.
The school board needs to look at places that tried it and see how it worked, she said.
"It's something we need to look at seriously," Stalcup said. "We take the safety of our children very seriously."
Based on an Internet search, Hawaii is the first to enact a statewide mandatory drug-testing policy for school employees like teachers and administrative workers. The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii plans to challenge the policy.
Linda Burt, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming, objects to random testing because it violates rights and isn't cost effective.
"We have a lot of information that says random drug testing isn't that effective," she said.
"What is really effective is good employee human resources programs," Burt said. These programs provide for education, treatment and good supervision of employees to spot problems and get help.
The city of Cheyenne, Laramie County and the state of Wyoming can require employees to do random drug tests if there is cause.
But only select groups of their employees n like those who work in safety jobs n are subject to random drug tests.
Rich Wiederspahn, director of human resources for the city of Cheyenne, said people applying for safety jobs n like police officers, firefighters and city bus drivers n must take drug tests before they are hired.
Employees in these jobs n and those with Commercial Driver's Licenses n are subject to random drug tests. Other city employees are not.
An opinion from the Wyoming attorney general in June 2007 concluded it's not reasonable to have random drug testing for public employees unless there is evidence of drug problems at work.
Emily Smith, human resources director for Laramie County, said people have to be drug tested before the county will hire them.
Only county employees who have CDL licenses in the Public Works Department are subject to random drug tests, she said.
Whether it could happen rests more with decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court than the school district.
Last week, federal authorities arrested a teacher and a teacher's assistant in Cheyenne on drug-related charges.
In light of that, LCSD1 will review how it supervises, hires, evaluates and monitors employees, Superintendent Ted Adams said Tuesday. "We need to review all our processes," he said.
Officials also will look at whether it would be possible to randomly test employees, he added, noting there have been barriers to doing that in the past.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in different cases that subjecting government employees to random tests violates their privacy and creates unlawful search and seizure.
John Lyttle, LCSD1 assistant superintendent of human resources, has asked lawyers for the district to review the question.
Adams said that if it's legally feasible to move forward with a drug-testing policy, the district could do so.
"The district is devastated by any kind of allegation like this," Adams said.
"I clearly, from my personal perspective, would be happy to have drug testing" of everyone in the district on a random basis, Adams said. "But there are challenges associated with doing that kind of testing," he said, referring to past court decisions.
The district "clearly needs to look at the options to protect children and to protect the institution and build our trust with parents," he added.
LCSD1 does drug and alcohol tests on employees for cause. The district can test employees if there is a suspicion of drug use.
If a person refuses to take the test for cause, it's considered a positive test. The employee is subject to discipline, including firing, Lyttle said.
Federal law requires districts to randomly test bus drivers or any employee who transports children, Lyttle added.
Coming up with a random drug-testing policy is a job beyond the scope of the superintendent or school boards, Adams said. It would take enabling legislation at the state and national levels.
But the local district can raise the question, Adams said.
Random testing would not be a solution in itself, he cautioned. The practice wouldn't catch drug dealers who aren't users.
District officials hire the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation to do background checks before the district hires someone. LCSD1 officials also check a registry to screen potential employees for child abuse.
LCSD1 Trustee Al Atkins does not favor random drug testing for employees. He said he doesn't think it is necessary.
"If we had a problem, I'd be in favor of it," he said.
But Trustee Dale Vosler supports testing everyone, from the top on down. Whether it could happen depends on what the law will allow, he added.
"I think it is something the board certainly needs to discuss with Ted ( Adams )," board Chairwoman Jan Stalcup said.
The school board needs to look at places that tried it and see how it worked, she said.
"It's something we need to look at seriously," Stalcup said. "We take the safety of our children very seriously."
Based on an Internet search, Hawaii is the first to enact a statewide mandatory drug-testing policy for school employees like teachers and administrative workers. The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii plans to challenge the policy.
Linda Burt, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming, objects to random testing because it violates rights and isn't cost effective.
"We have a lot of information that says random drug testing isn't that effective," she said.
"What is really effective is good employee human resources programs," Burt said. These programs provide for education, treatment and good supervision of employees to spot problems and get help.
The city of Cheyenne, Laramie County and the state of Wyoming can require employees to do random drug tests if there is cause.
But only select groups of their employees n like those who work in safety jobs n are subject to random drug tests.
Rich Wiederspahn, director of human resources for the city of Cheyenne, said people applying for safety jobs n like police officers, firefighters and city bus drivers n must take drug tests before they are hired.
Employees in these jobs n and those with Commercial Driver's Licenses n are subject to random drug tests. Other city employees are not.
An opinion from the Wyoming attorney general in June 2007 concluded it's not reasonable to have random drug testing for public employees unless there is evidence of drug problems at work.
Emily Smith, human resources director for Laramie County, said people have to be drug tested before the county will hire them.
Only county employees who have CDL licenses in the Public Works Department are subject to random drug tests, she said.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
BURN VICTIM ACQUITTED OF DRUG ALLEGATIONS
Judge Says Crown Did Not Prove Man Started Fire While Cooking Drugs On Stove
This much is known:
* James Robin Peterson was in the house in Dieppe when it caught fire on June 29, 2004.
* He was close enough to the flames that his face and upper body were badly burned.
* The fire started because someone was cooking marijuana oil on the stove and the volatile mix of cannabis and fuel burst into flames.
These are the unknowns:
* Did Peterson live at the house or was he merely a visitor?
* Did he have anything to do with the drugs, or did they belong to one of the several other people who occupied the rental home?
* Was he cooking the marijuana oil when it burst into flames, practically destroying the old house, or was he simply in the line of fire?
These facts were weighed during Peterson's recent trial on charges of drug possession and production. Judge Anne Dugas-Horsman heard the case and yesterday she ruled there was not enough evidence to convict the defendant.
She made her decision based on the fact the Crown presented little evidence on who actually lived in the house. There was nothing to link the residence to Peterson and there was at least one other individual in the home at the time of the fire.
"Clearly a serious fire took place in that residence as evidenced by the photographs entered into evidence," said the judge. "However, at the end of the day, I cannot conclude to possession of drugs, nor can I conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the only explanation to explain the burns of Peterson is that he was the one who was directly involved in the production of cannabis resin and that there was no other rational explanation for those burns.
"While the evidence would suggest that Peterson was no stranger to what occurred at that residence in June of 2004, I find I cannot convict on such scanty evidence."
The fire broke out shortly after 6:30 p.m. in the house on Orleans Street, which is just south of Veterans Highway, in Dieppe. Firefighters arrived and found a man wandering the street in boxer shorts, with bad burns on his face, neck, arms and upper body.
A second person, Michael Gallant, escaped the home by jumping out a second storey window, onto the top of the front porch and then down to the ground. He told police someone else in the home had banged on his bedroom door to alert him to the fire.
Firefighters were told the occupants had been cooking French fries and a grease fire erupted.
As Fire Chief Charles LeBlanc walked through the residence, he found two ignition points, only one of which was in the kitchen. Also, no evidence of grease was found, only a pot on the stove that looked like it contained water.
The bathroom area was badly damaged and a bowl was found face down on the bathroom floor, near another point of ignition.
LeBlanc returned the next day with Codiac RCMP investigator Roland Cormier and they found two large jugs of a "green plant substance" that appeared to be marijuana-related. The scene was secured and a search warrant was obtained.
During the trial, the court heard expert testimony that the substance in the containers was a combination of marijuana and fuel. Both substances were also found in the bathroom.
The court heard that when the marijuana and fuel mixture is heated, the chemical reaction transforms it into cannabis resin. But it's also highly volatile and can explode if heat is applied directly.
Placing it in a bowl and then placing the bowl in a boiling pot of water, as was found at the residence, is a technique used for producing this drug.
The Crown's theory was that Peterson was cooking the mixture and when it caught fire, he tried to dispose of it in the bathroom and was burned, dropping the bowl. This would explain his burns.
But defence lawyer Lisanne Maurice contended the Crown failed to prove he was in possession or control of the marijuana. She also argued the fact he was burned was not enough to convict him of producing the drugs.
As Dugas-Horsman said while delivering her verdict yesterday, "The fact he is burned does no more than place him inside the residence and does not amount to control over the drug inside the containers found at that location."
This much is known:
* James Robin Peterson was in the house in Dieppe when it caught fire on June 29, 2004.
* He was close enough to the flames that his face and upper body were badly burned.
* The fire started because someone was cooking marijuana oil on the stove and the volatile mix of cannabis and fuel burst into flames.
These are the unknowns:
* Did Peterson live at the house or was he merely a visitor?
* Did he have anything to do with the drugs, or did they belong to one of the several other people who occupied the rental home?
* Was he cooking the marijuana oil when it burst into flames, practically destroying the old house, or was he simply in the line of fire?
These facts were weighed during Peterson's recent trial on charges of drug possession and production. Judge Anne Dugas-Horsman heard the case and yesterday she ruled there was not enough evidence to convict the defendant.
She made her decision based on the fact the Crown presented little evidence on who actually lived in the house. There was nothing to link the residence to Peterson and there was at least one other individual in the home at the time of the fire.
"Clearly a serious fire took place in that residence as evidenced by the photographs entered into evidence," said the judge. "However, at the end of the day, I cannot conclude to possession of drugs, nor can I conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the only explanation to explain the burns of Peterson is that he was the one who was directly involved in the production of cannabis resin and that there was no other rational explanation for those burns.
"While the evidence would suggest that Peterson was no stranger to what occurred at that residence in June of 2004, I find I cannot convict on such scanty evidence."
The fire broke out shortly after 6:30 p.m. in the house on Orleans Street, which is just south of Veterans Highway, in Dieppe. Firefighters arrived and found a man wandering the street in boxer shorts, with bad burns on his face, neck, arms and upper body.
A second person, Michael Gallant, escaped the home by jumping out a second storey window, onto the top of the front porch and then down to the ground. He told police someone else in the home had banged on his bedroom door to alert him to the fire.
Firefighters were told the occupants had been cooking French fries and a grease fire erupted.
As Fire Chief Charles LeBlanc walked through the residence, he found two ignition points, only one of which was in the kitchen. Also, no evidence of grease was found, only a pot on the stove that looked like it contained water.
The bathroom area was badly damaged and a bowl was found face down on the bathroom floor, near another point of ignition.
LeBlanc returned the next day with Codiac RCMP investigator Roland Cormier and they found two large jugs of a "green plant substance" that appeared to be marijuana-related. The scene was secured and a search warrant was obtained.
During the trial, the court heard expert testimony that the substance in the containers was a combination of marijuana and fuel. Both substances were also found in the bathroom.
The court heard that when the marijuana and fuel mixture is heated, the chemical reaction transforms it into cannabis resin. But it's also highly volatile and can explode if heat is applied directly.
Placing it in a bowl and then placing the bowl in a boiling pot of water, as was found at the residence, is a technique used for producing this drug.
The Crown's theory was that Peterson was cooking the mixture and when it caught fire, he tried to dispose of it in the bathroom and was burned, dropping the bowl. This would explain his burns.
But defence lawyer Lisanne Maurice contended the Crown failed to prove he was in possession or control of the marijuana. She also argued the fact he was burned was not enough to convict him of producing the drugs.
As Dugas-Horsman said while delivering her verdict yesterday, "The fact he is burned does no more than place him inside the residence and does not amount to control over the drug inside the containers found at that location."
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
DRUG LAWS ROOTED IN CLASS CONTROL
We tend to take the law for granted, but sometimes its origins deserve a little thought.
For example, it's something of a puzzle why certain narcotics were seen as dangerous and criminalized in the early 20th century when before 1908, there were few restrictions placed on the sale or consumption of narcotics.
For example, tonics, elixirs and cough syrups containing opium were widely available. As well, cocaine was used as an ingredient in hair dressing, wine, children's toothache drops and an obscure soft drink that shall remain nameless.
Did society suddenly discover how dangerous these ingredients were?
A lot of credit for the opium legislation of 1908 is given to a young deputy minister of labour, MacKenzie King, who travelled to Vancouver to investigate the anti-Asiatic riots of September 1907.
Agitators from Washington had organized a parade against Asians and burned the Lieutenant-Governor in effigy. Some say the tension behind the 1907 race riots was not directed against all Chinese but mostly against Asian labourers because of the perception they were taking jobs away from white Canadians.
The rioters marched to Chinatown and the Japanese quarter where they vandalized stores and assaulted people. Shanghai Alley, one of the streets most severely damaged by rioting, was home to an opium factory, legal in 1907, but not for long.
The eventual result of King's visit was the Opium Act or 1908.
One theory as to why all this happened is that the anti-drug campaign was motivated by a highly racialized drug panic. Chinese-Canadians were said to be the victims of discrimination and to have been disproportionately targeted by enforcement officials. People were resisting the tide of immigration everywhere, and the consequent threat to "Canadian" values.
A more benevolent theory is that the debate about drug addiction was initiated by medical reformers in Victorian Canada.The emergence of anti-narcotic legislation in the early 20th century was not simply thinly-veiled anti-Chinese sentiment. Rather, the motive behind the 1908 Opium Act and its unanimous acceptance by Parliament was initiated by physicians' in their self-prescribed role as protectors of national health.
Perhaps this is why the act was revised several times to include various other drugs. There was a lot of concern over cocaine, for example in Montreal in 1910, where druggists dispensing cocaine were called murderers.
And in 1923 the act was changed to also include marijuana, the users of which were called drug fiends.
However, research has looked at the role of opium legislation in the context of the government's need to deal with an increasingly difficult labour situation.
Chinese labour constituted both real and symbolic threats within the British Columbia working class, which was itself being de-skilled and unionized.
Relations between management and labour were approaching a crisis situation by the turn of the century, and the government needed a way to channel class conflict and deflect blame.
The genius of having King deal with the 1907 Anti-Asiatic Exclusion League riot was that it pinned responsibility on foreign agitators. It was the Anti-Asiatic Exclusion League that was stirring things up.
Second, the problems of the labour market with its too few jobs, was transformed into a race problem. It was the Chinese who were taking jobs away.
Third, by blaming the Chinese for the opium problem, attention was distracted from the whites who sold, distributed and used the drug.
The opium laws were a momentous change in criminal law in Canada. The result was the transformation of private drug use into a public problem. The responsibility was put on the heads of Mongolians, in King's terms.
This turned people away from socialism as a solution to labour problems. It also turned them away from seeing the labour crisis as a class issue rather than an ethnic issue.
In the process the role of the state was preserved as legitimate, the Chinese were vilified as a threat and drugs were demonized as the problem.
Did the state intend the crisis to further its legitimation? Probably not.
Did it benefit? Certainly.
Chris McCormick teaches criminology at St. Thomas University. His column on crime and criminal justice appears every second Thursday.
For example, it's something of a puzzle why certain narcotics were seen as dangerous and criminalized in the early 20th century when before 1908, there were few restrictions placed on the sale or consumption of narcotics.
For example, tonics, elixirs and cough syrups containing opium were widely available. As well, cocaine was used as an ingredient in hair dressing, wine, children's toothache drops and an obscure soft drink that shall remain nameless.
Did society suddenly discover how dangerous these ingredients were?
A lot of credit for the opium legislation of 1908 is given to a young deputy minister of labour, MacKenzie King, who travelled to Vancouver to investigate the anti-Asiatic riots of September 1907.
Agitators from Washington had organized a parade against Asians and burned the Lieutenant-Governor in effigy. Some say the tension behind the 1907 race riots was not directed against all Chinese but mostly against Asian labourers because of the perception they were taking jobs away from white Canadians.
The rioters marched to Chinatown and the Japanese quarter where they vandalized stores and assaulted people. Shanghai Alley, one of the streets most severely damaged by rioting, was home to an opium factory, legal in 1907, but not for long.
The eventual result of King's visit was the Opium Act or 1908.
One theory as to why all this happened is that the anti-drug campaign was motivated by a highly racialized drug panic. Chinese-Canadians were said to be the victims of discrimination and to have been disproportionately targeted by enforcement officials. People were resisting the tide of immigration everywhere, and the consequent threat to "Canadian" values.
A more benevolent theory is that the debate about drug addiction was initiated by medical reformers in Victorian Canada.The emergence of anti-narcotic legislation in the early 20th century was not simply thinly-veiled anti-Chinese sentiment. Rather, the motive behind the 1908 Opium Act and its unanimous acceptance by Parliament was initiated by physicians' in their self-prescribed role as protectors of national health.
Perhaps this is why the act was revised several times to include various other drugs. There was a lot of concern over cocaine, for example in Montreal in 1910, where druggists dispensing cocaine were called murderers.
And in 1923 the act was changed to also include marijuana, the users of which were called drug fiends.
However, research has looked at the role of opium legislation in the context of the government's need to deal with an increasingly difficult labour situation.
Chinese labour constituted both real and symbolic threats within the British Columbia working class, which was itself being de-skilled and unionized.
Relations between management and labour were approaching a crisis situation by the turn of the century, and the government needed a way to channel class conflict and deflect blame.
The genius of having King deal with the 1907 Anti-Asiatic Exclusion League riot was that it pinned responsibility on foreign agitators. It was the Anti-Asiatic Exclusion League that was stirring things up.
Second, the problems of the labour market with its too few jobs, was transformed into a race problem. It was the Chinese who were taking jobs away.
Third, by blaming the Chinese for the opium problem, attention was distracted from the whites who sold, distributed and used the drug.
The opium laws were a momentous change in criminal law in Canada. The result was the transformation of private drug use into a public problem. The responsibility was put on the heads of Mongolians, in King's terms.
This turned people away from socialism as a solution to labour problems. It also turned them away from seeing the labour crisis as a class issue rather than an ethnic issue.
In the process the role of the state was preserved as legitimate, the Chinese were vilified as a threat and drugs were demonized as the problem.
Did the state intend the crisis to further its legitimation? Probably not.
Did it benefit? Certainly.
Chris McCormick teaches criminology at St. Thomas University. His column on crime and criminal justice appears every second Thursday.
Monday, February 11, 2008
TEXAS' PEYOTE HUNTERS STRUGGLE TO FIND A VANISHING, HOLY CROP
Harvesting Peyote Is Legal for Only Three People, and All of Them Live in Texas
Mauro Morales picks his way through mesquite trees and prickly pear cacti. The 65-year-old cautiously steps around a thicket of tasajillo, or rattail cactus, just down the road from his small ranch near Rio Grande City. Tasajillo thorns stick you like a fish hook, he says. Then there's the cola seca--the rattlesnake--another job hazard.
"We're far enough from a hospital that you probably wouldn't make it if you got bit," he says in a quiet voice, as though a snake might take his words as an invitation to strike.
Morales has been wandering through the chaparral for half an hour, staring at the ground. He combs over small rocks with a stick. Finally, he spots a greenish knob, sprouting out of the ground under the tasajillo thicket.
"There's some medicine, right there," he says. It's a lone peyote button, about an inch in diameter, way too small to harvest. It'll be another five years before this peyote is mature. As he navigates the hostile flora, he points to three more small peyote plants, all of them too young to cut.
"I used to collect as much in a week as I now do in a month," he says. "I don't know what's going to happen to the medicine."
Morales almost never utters the word "peyote." For him, the small green-gray cactus is a sacrament with miraculous healing powers, hence his word for it: medicine.
What makes peyote different from just about any other cactus in the world is that it naturally produces mescaline, a psychedelic alkaloid that can induce hallucinations lasting for days. It was mescaline that opened what Aldous Huxley called "the doors of perception" to "the divine source of all existence."
Before LSD, before Ecstasy, there was peyote.
Peyote and mescaline are both classified by the federal government as Schedule I Controlled Substances. This puts them in the same legal category as crack and heroin, drugs that, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, have "a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision."
Much recent scientific research contradicts the DEA's verdict on peyote. There is little evidence of any adverse long-term effects on physical health and virtually no evidence that it is addictive.
Still, harvesting and selling peyote is illegal for all but three people in the entire country. And those three people happen to be located in Texas, operating in a swath of South Texas between Rio Grande City and Laredo.
These people--Morales is one of them--are called peyoteros, people who make their living selling peyote buttons to the approximately 250,000 Indian members of the Native American Church. Only 20 years ago, there were dozens of peyoteros in small towns along the border. Now, two of the three still working are in their 60s. Meanwhile, membership in the Native American Church is growing, and demand for peyote is outstripping the limited supply.
For Native American Church members, this 70-mile stretch of land used to be known as the "peyote gardens"--the only place on U.S. soil where the cactus grows in its natural habitat.
"I talk to the medicine every day," Morales says. "I pray to it. I know it works, and I want to help the Natives in any way I can."
In his 1976 doctoral dissertation, "Man, Plant and Religion: Peyote Trade on the Mustang Plains of Texas," the geographer George Morgan speculated that Hispanic traders first bought peyote from a Mexican tribe called the Huichol. To this day, the Huichol harvest the cactus during their annual 250-mile pilgrimage from their homeland in the Sierra Madre to a sacred mountain in central Mexico. The pilgrimage takes them four weeks by foot and along the way, in the desolate Chihuahuan desert, they eat peyote, hunt deer and train a new generation to become shamans.
The Huichol, unlike most tribes, were never quite conquered by the Spaniards. They resisted Christianity and continue to practice an animist religion based on mystical beliefs about peyote, deer and corn. Morgan discovered that Mexicans brought peyote across the border and started trading it with marauding Indian tribes from Oklahoma in the late 19th century. These tribes then passed on the cactus to other Indians to the north and west. Soon, Indians from California were arriving in South Texas in search of the fabled peyote gardens.
Anglo authorities didn't look kindly upon the Hispanic-dominated peyote trade. In 1909, a U.S. special officer named William "Pussyfoot" Johnson bought up all the peyote in South Texas and burned it. According to Morgan, the operation worked for almost a year, until Johnson ran out of money. The Bureau of Indian Affairs convinced the post office to ban peyote sent by mail in 1917, but the ban had little effect since most Indians preferred to travel to the peyote gardens themselves. The post office lifted the ban a few years later.
After these early conflicts, Anglos mostly shrugged their shoulders and left peyoteros to their business, which was starting to flourish. Indians from Oklahoma started arriving on the Texas-Mexican railway with empty burlap sacks, which they would fill with thousands of buttons of dried peyote. In some places--such as the now-deserted town of Los Ojuelos--the peyote trade was the basis of the entire economy.
The peyoteros had a natural monopoly on their crop. Even though it's illegal to cultivate, there have been sporadic attempts to transplant the cactus to Oklahoma and New Mexico, all to no avail. In the United States, peyote will only grow in the hot, dry climate of South Texas.
The peyoteros remember a time a generation ago when Indians camped out and harvested their own peyote. "Back then, it was what we call open range," says Salvador Johnson, another peyotero. "You could harvest what you needed. At that time, ranchers were poorer than we were. They couldn't even afford feed for the cattle. Now those same ranchers are multimillionaires from oil and gas royalties."
Like many peyoteros, Johnson was a little mystified when peyote suddenly became trendy in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. It was during this time that the drug caught on among hippies and New Age folk, largely through the works of Carlos Castaneda, an anthropologist turned best-selling author.
Castaneda wrote a series of books about a shaman named Don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian who took the anthropologist under his wing. Don Juan believed that "mescalito"--a code word for peyote--was a vehicle for self-knowledge. Through mescalito, Don Juan said, one could learn how to fly and see beings in liquid colors. Under Don Juan's tutelage, the rational academic learned how to become a sorcerer and warrior.
Castaneda's books were a phenomenon. The author, however, turned out to be a fraud. He was denounced by fellow anthropologists for trying to pass off a fictional character as an authentic source. In a cover story in Time in 1973, the magazine presented evidence that the author had lied about his background, including his nationality. None of this, however, stopped the influx of peyote-seekers in the one place in the nation where the plant grew wild.
Poachers started arriving, many of them Anglo hippies from the West Coast. One of those poachers was Frank Collum ( not his real name ), a hippie from Connecticut who had heard about the peyote gardens through some Indian friends in New Mexico. When he first started going to South Texas in the early 1970s, he would hop a fence and camp out for a week.
Now, he doesn't think it's worth the risk of getting caught for trespassing. Collum still goes down to South Texas, but his Indian wife buys dried peyote from Salvador Johnson. ( In addition to belonging to the Native American Church, peyote buyers have to prove they are at least one-quarter related to a federally recognized Indian tribe. ) Collum raised his son in the Church, going to meetings that would include all-night ceremonies in a teepee. Those days are gone.
"Peyote is in jeopardy," he says. "You hear stories about it coming from Mexico now. The ranchers in Texas have put up tall fences you can't jump. Then, there are all the wetbacks and Border Patrol. There's just too much heat.
"A lot of the Natives are real sensitive about the situation," Collum says. "The supply will not meet the demand unless you can convince the ranchers to cooperate. And the ranchers, they don't give a fuck about peyote."
Ranchers used to be friendly with the peyoteros, who paid them a small lease for access to their land. In recent years, as land prices have skyrocketed and Hispanic immigration has boomed, Anglo ranchers have come to view the peyoteros as a nuisance. According to Morales, many ranchers would rather plow their fields to plant grass for cattle feed than protect their native plants.
Salvador Johnson used to be a full-time peyotero, but now it's a part-time job. Rather than fight the ranchers, he's started helping them organize hunting trips. He also works as a general contractor around his hometown of Mirando City, a hamlet about half an hour east of Laredo.
"The big money is in deer hunting," says Johnson.
Mauro Morales remembers when it was possible to find massive clumps of peyote growing wild. "There was medicine just a couple miles from my home," he says. He grew up on the same street where he still lives in a ramshackle, two-story pink house with a dirt driveway. As a young man, he worked in the fields harvesting peyote for extra money. The matriarch of the peyote trade, a woman named Amada Cardenas, first showed him peyote in 1950.
"Natives call the big ones 'chief,'" he says. "And when they find a chief, they get down and pray to it. Miss Cardenas showed me my first chief."
Morales says that it's getting harder and harder to find chiefs. The only way to ensure the supply, he says, is greenhouse cultivation, something he's discussed with botanists from around the world, including a group from Germany that visited him in January.
But Johnson, the only remaining peyotero in the once-thriving area east of Laredo known as the Mirando Valley, doesn't believe cultivation will solve the peyoteros' problems.
"Even if we buy the land, we don't have control of peyote because God put it here," he says. "We don't know how it grows, how it multiplies. God will give us what we need, and that's it. He's the one who makes the rain. He's the one who makes the peyote."
Johnson says that the tipping point for the peyoteros was the mid-1970s. As ranchers struck oil and gas, seemingly worthless South Texas scrubland became expensive. Many peyoteros found more lucrative work in the oil fields. Others were getting old and retiring. Stringent requirements for a peyote license, which include a letter of recommendation from the local sheriff, stopped a lot of young people from becoming peyoteros.
Johnson had returned from the Vietnam War and wasn't sure he wanted to continue the family tradition. He quit selling for a while in 1976. "We were selling peyote and making a profit, but I had to make sure I was doing the right thing for my family," Johnson says. "In the late 1970s, there were so many drugs on the market we had never seen before--angel dust, PCP, reds, yellows, blues. Then, the DEA classified peyote as a Schedule I substance. There were a lot of landowners who started to think peyote was a dangerous drug."
Johnson, a 60-year-old with a white mustache who looks like a well-tanned Wilford Brimley, wasn't sure he wanted to be associated with a drug most people thought was harmful and addictive.
"I said to myself that for me to continue doing what I'm doing, I need to understand this drug," he said. "I needed to have an understanding with my family that I was doing the right thing. I wanted to understand its effects on health."
So Johnson went to visit an Indian he'd known his entire life named Leslie Full Bull. For a few months, Johnson lived on a reservation in South Dakota and got to see for himself the long-term impact of peyote. He came away believing that the plant was a positive thing for the community.
"I'm really involved with the Native American Church," he says. "I'm so involved with it that I believe that I'm one of the smartest people in the world about peyote. I've been to Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota...Name a state, name a tribe of Indians that use peyote, I've been there."
The real test, though, was a firsthand experience of peyote in a Native American ceremony--a meeting.
"I got so involved in these meetings that the only way for me to understand what this peyote does is to take it."
According to Jody Patterson, supervisor of controlled substances registration with the Texas Department of Public Safety, peyoteros have to follow the same rules regarding peyote as everyone else. If they aren't one-quarter Indian and a member of the Native American Church, it's illegal no matter if it was taken as part of a religious ceremony.
Johnson, who says he's "probably" part Indian--"most Mexicans are"--has been taking peyote for "many, many years" and sees the legal niceties somewhat differently. He says he takes peyote only after it has been blessed by a high priest. He expects that the Indians he sells to will do the same.
"I can only hope that you're using it the right way," Johnson says. "Now, if I know you're using it the wrong way, I can report you and you'll be arrested."
Martin Terry is a Harvard-trained botanist at Sul Ross State University in Alpine who may be the world's leading authority on peyote. He runs a small nonprofit called the Cactus Conservation Institute, which is dedicated to saving peyote from extinction.
"I've become increasingly passionate about the conservation of cacti in the past 10 years," he wrote in a recent e-mail. "I've personally witnessed species becoming scarce in places where I had previously found them to be abundant."
Terry is afraid that the natural habitat for peyote in South Texas is being ruined by ranchers and poachers. "The problem is defined by access to land," he says. "The peyoteros are Hispanic. They work through family connections. More and more of the land is being bought up by Anglo owners who don't derive any benefit from the peyoteros. They don't give a damn about the peyoteros."
For the first time in history, Terry says, there's active patrolling of ranch grounds. Ranchers have cut back brush to allow trucks to ride along their fence lines. Ranchers want to protect against peyoteros getting in and deer getting out.
The ranchers' hands-off policy represents a dilemma for Terry. On one hand, protection against peyoteros will conserve the cactus. On the other, it prevents Indians from getting access to their sacred plant.
"From the point of view of the plant, the only threat is overharvesting," he says. "The fences and personnel that protect ranch lands from would-be harvesters are the very opposite of a threat, as the protected populations of peyote inside those fences are the only healthy ones in South Texas."
Still, Terry is sensitive to the peyoteros and their way of life. He considers Mauro Morales a personal friend. He wants to make sure that Indians have access to their cactus, but that's getting harder and harder.
"Everyone I talk to, they say peyote is getting more expensive," Terry says. "The buttons are getting smaller. It's now about 30 to 35 cents a button. Ten years ago it was a third of that."
As a botanist, Terry thinks he's found a solution--buying up land to protect the plant. But the price of land has skyrocketed.
"The only obstacle is the cost of buying a minimum of 2,000 acres of South Texas real estate," he says. "That means we're talking about something on the order of $2 million. For a relatively new 501©3 like the Cactus Conservation Institute, that's a fund-raising project of enormous magnitude."
It's also a challenge raising money to save a plant that the federal government considers a dangerous, addictive drug. But the biggest obstacle for conservation might be the Indians themselves. Many Indians are opposed to cultivating peyote in greenhouses. Their opposition stems from a mystical belief in the cactus as divinely planted.
Alden Naranjo, a Ute who's been traveling to the peyote gardens from Colorado since the 1960s, isn't too worked up about the disappearance of his sacrament.
"Peyote predates Christianity by thousands of years," he says. "Native Americans have their spirituality based in this sacrament. It came north to us from Mexico. I don't think it will disappear. We've used it for thousands of years, and it's still here."
Naranjo, like Salvador Johnson, doesn't want to see peyote grown in greenhouses. He would rather see it imported from Mexico, where 90 percent of the continent's supply grows. For Native Americans like Naranjo, the current crisis in the peyote supply is just the latest story in a history of injustices.
"It's just the white man's greed," he says. "The white man wants more land, and that discourages peyoteros. It's getting harder for us, with stricter trespass laws."
It wasn't always like that in Texas, he says. "A lot of that land was open. Before the oil speculators, land was cheap. Then the white man with his European concept of ownership came in. There's just too many white men."
There are, in fact, white members of the Native American Church. Frank Collum is one, and he's been welcomed into meetings by Indians. It took him a while to be accepted, but now that he's married to an Indian and a veteran of peyote meetings, he feels like he's just as much a part of the church as anyone. In the eyes of the law, however, it is illegal for Collum--or any non-Indian--to buy or consume peyote.
According to James Botsford, an attorney who has been defending peyote use by Indians for decades, there's a clear distinction between Indian and non-Indian peyote users. The law, he says, protects Native American Church members who can prove they have one grandparent from a federally recognized tribe.
There have been recent challenges to the law on First Amendment grounds. One case made it to the Utah Supreme Court, but the ban on peyote use by non-Indians remains.
"I'm comfortable with the law as it stands," Botsford says. "There's not enough peyote around to allow a broader interpretation of the law. Indian people understand peyote to be the flesh of God, something that the creator put here to help them pray."
A year ago, Mauro Morales started losing weight. He always looked forward to February when busloads of Indians descended on South Texas for meetings in the peyote gardens. Suddenly, though, he didn't have the energy to go hunting for medicine with his sons. Morales is a small man who has always weighed about 125 pounds.
"I was all skin and bones," he says. "I was down to about 97 pounds."
The doctors couldn't give Morales a clear diagnosis. They told him he needed to rest, so he spent most of his time on the couch. When the Indians arrived in February, they were shocked to learn that he could barely walk.
"The Indians kept saying, 'We need you, we need you,'" Morales says.
One Indian from South Dakota called Morales and told him he would come down to his place the next day. The man had been visiting Morales for decades, and like many Indians, he had formed a friendship with the peyotero. The Indian brought 20 people to pray for Morales in his little peyote garden behind his house. In the garden, Morales has clumps of old peyote--chiefs--as well as ultrarare specimens of the star cactus, a super-potent, highly endangered plant in the same family as peyote.
Morales' Indian friends often set up their teepees on his ranch about half an hour outside town to conduct their ceremonies. This time, though, the 20 Indians put the teepee behind Morales' house. It's not the most tranquil spot for a camp-out. The neighborhood is abuzz with ranchera music, crowing roosters and belching pickups. But the Indians wanted Morales to participate in the meeting, which goes from dusk to dawn with constant drumming, singing, praying and--of course--peyote eating.
"I was so sick," Morales says. "I didn't think I could make it in the teepee--you've got to be in there all night long. I got up at 5 a.m. to go out. I didn't want to go back in. It's so hot in there, and I'm sweating."
Still, he went back in. Morales, who had spent the majority of his life working around peyote, had never used it. Now, with his Indian friends praying over him, he took the medicine.
"I've only taken it when I've been real sick," he says. Days later, Morales started gaining weight. He got off the couch and was able to walk without pain. He's not sure how it worked, but he's convinced that the medicine--along with the Indians' prayers--healed him. Now, when they come back to Morales' place, he cuts them a deal, selling them bags of peyote at $200 a piece, which amounts to a significant discount from his regular price of $350.
"You've got to have faith in the medicine," he says. "Without faith, it won't work."
Morales says he's seen the medicine work for others as well. The most miraculous case he's seen happened when his brother was dying in the hospital. A doctor called Morales to tell him the brother had two days left. Morales started calling his family. At the same time, a group of Indians was visiting him to stock up on peyote before heading back to Arizona.
"One of them told me to write my brother's name on a piece of paper," he said. Morales wrote the name--Ajeo--and the Indians left. He didn't ask the Indians' names because he didn't believe it would work. "They told me not to worry because my brother wasn't going to die."
The family gathered at the hospital, thinking that it would only be a matter of hours. Days passed, and Ajeo held on. He didn't die for another six months. Weeks after the Indians left, one of them called Morales.
"He asked how my brother was doing," he says. "I said that he was still alive. He said it was the medicine. They were praying for him."
Other terminally ill people have turned up at Morales' door, looking for medicine. He would like to be able to help them, but if he deals to the wrong people, Morales' license to sell peyote could be revoked.
"One woman drove here from San Antonio," he says. "She had been taking chemo, and it wasn't working. Nothing had really worked for her, and someone had mentioned the medicine. But she didn't have the papers, so I had to turn her away.
"If you don't have papers, I can't sell to you," he says. Then, with a little smile, he adds, "but I can tell you where you might find it."
As Morales explains the magical power of the medicine, he inspects his supply. So far, business has been slow for the winter. It was still deer season in early January and Morales couldn't harvest much peyote if he wanted to. He sold about 5,000 buttons for December, which means that he netted around $1,750. Subtract wages for his handful of part-time workers, and it becomes clear that Morales isn't making much money, even though the price of peyote has more than doubled in the past 10 years.
He keeps thousands of buttons ready to sell. Stored in large wooden trays behind his house, some of them are covered by tarps and others by a makeshift roof. There's little security to protect his supply, but he says he's never had a problem with theft.
Morales bends down to demonstrate his technique for cutting the plant above the root so that it will grow back. He puts a button on a table and cuts a slice open. He offers it to me to smell. He gives me a little nod as if to indicate that I should try it. Without asking permission, I take a bite. Morales smiles. It tastes like a dirty, raw potato. The little button seems to suck all the moisture right out of my mouth. Suddenly, it starts tasting spicy, like a raw jalapeno. The feeling is intolerable, and I spit it out.
"Maybe you just don't have the faith," he says, winking at me.
Humberto Fernandez--known universally as Don Humberto in the village of Real de Catorce, Mexico--eats peyote for breakfast. One button--it's just enough to get him going for the day.
Don Humberto was a young Mexican hippie bumming around California in the 1970s when he heard about peyote growing wild near a ghost town in the mountains of central Mexico. As it turned out, the ghost town--Real de Catorce--was close to his hometown in the state of San Luis Potosi.
"I was hanging out in the esoteric sections of bookstores in California and reading about the Huichol Indians and peyote," he says. "I said, 'Wow, that's where I'm from.' I didn't know anything about it growing up."
On a whim, Don Humberto moved to the town and started renovating a colonial building a few blocks from the cathedral. He turned it into a boutique hotel that catered to Europeans who had heard about peyote. About 10 years ago, primarily through word of mouth, peyote tourism in the town boomed.
Before he knew it, Don Humberto was hosting Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, who came to town to film The Mexican. He points to a corner of his restaurant where Pitt ate breakfast every morning for two months. Don Humberto, with his aquiline nose and stringy black-and-gray beard, looks like a Hollywood character actor--the classic ethnic bad guy. His involvement with The Mexican led to a bit part in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but his heart is still in Real de Catorce, where he's the most recognizable face in town.
"I came here as a dropout," he says. "There was nothing in town when I arrived. There was one lady on the corner who sold rice, beans and eggs. That was it. People asked me why I was coming here, but I had a dream, a vision."
About 90 percent of the town's economy revolves around tourism. There isn't much to see in the town--an old church, some crumbling colonial architecture and abandoned silver mines. The sacred mountain of the Huichol, Wirikuta, is just an hour's horseback ride away.
While most of the locals embrace the new peyote tourism, it also attracts some unsavory characters. On street corners, young men harass foreigners for a "ride in the desert." For about $70, they'll take tourists out to the peyote gardens below the mountains. It's technically illegal, but no one seems to care much. As Don Humberto says, peyote tourists are the core of the town's livelihood.
He's hoping that Indians longing for the lost peyote gardens of South Texas will work their way to his little village on a mountaintop. He's already seen a few relocate to Real. An Indian from San Antonio bought a house and lives there part-time. Then Don Humberto and his Swiss wife, Cornelia, met a group of Indians near the Four Corners who promised to come.
"They said they had a vision that was leading them down here," says Cornelia, who was attracted to Real 20 years ago, in part because of peyote. "But peyote's not for everyone," she adds.
Cornelia and Don Humberto see peyote tourism as both a blessing and a curse. When tourists first started arriving in big numbers, local police preyed on them. "Police used to harass foreign tourists," Cornelia says. "They'd take watches and cameras as bribes. Now, they leave everyone alone."
She says that there's an unspoken agreement that police will never go into the desert looking for peyote seekers. "But," she says, "if you take it out and get caught with it, you could go to prison."
The Mexican government also has ambivalent feelings about the foreign influx. It has designated the area around Real de Catorce as a protected natural and cultural reserve. Although the government wants to promote tourism to the region, it also passes out fliers warning peyote seekers that the collection and trafficking of the cactus can be punished with up to 25 years in prison.
On the other hand, there's a long history of peyote's use as a folk medicine in northern Mexico. Mexicans have been using peyote as a cure-all for rheumatism, arthritis and other ailments for centuries. They drink it in teas or rub it directly on the skin.
Martin Terry says that even here in San Luis Potosi--the peyote heartland--the cactus is endangered. He says that the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( UNAM )--the biggest and most prestigious university in Mexico--keeps GPS data on clusters of peyote plants around the sacred area of the Huichol. Last summer, someone ripped huge roots from the area. They squeezed the mescaline out of the cactus and left the roots to die. He thinks it may be a drug cartel.
"Only six years ago, it was a place of great abundance," he says. When he went back this summer, "there were just a few plants left. Those that were of no value were left to die."
Frank Collum, the Anglo peyote eater and sometime poacher, says that Native Americans should back off the Mexican peyote gardens. "If it keeps going like it is," he says, "there'll be a war with the Huichol. They eat an incredible amount of peyote. They've got their own problems with the Mexican government."
One local from Real de Catorce, Juan Hernandez, makes his living taking foreigners to the sacred places of the Huichol on horseback. He charges about $20 per horse and serves as a guide. Hernandez is a mestizo who lives in town, but he has close ties to the Indians.
"They call me before they start their pilgrimage in April," he says. "It takes them about four weeks to walk here and when they get here, I have firewood and food ready for them."
Hernandez guides three horses straight up a mountaintop to a spiral of stones. It's not much of a monument, but the landscape is breathtaking, with a view of the Chihuahuan desert stretching as far as the eye can see. Hernandez says that this is the birthplace of the god of the sun, Quetzal. He rubs coins across his body--it is a symbol of cleansing--and enters the stone spiral. When he gets to the center, he places the coins on a mound of other offerings. There are old shoes, a driver's license, candles, and Mexican and U.S. coins.
"This is a place of spiritual renewal," he says.
Hernandez follows many of the Huichol practices--including peyote eating. He prefers to mix it with chocolate or fruit juice so he's not likely to vomit it back up. He likes it because it gives him energy. He believes--like the Huichol-- that the peyote ceremony on Wirikuta releases the shamans' spirits from their bodies. He's seen their spirits flying around the mountains like large, colorful birds.
But he's not immune to the transformations going on in his hometown. His eyes light up when the name Brad Pitt is mentioned. "He was so cool," Hernandez says. "We all hung out with him for two months when he wasn't filming."
Mauro Morales looks a little worried when he talks about Mexican peyote. He knows that there's much more medicine on the other side of the border, but he's not crossing the river to seek it out. Even though he's a licensed dealer, transporting the stuff across the border would land him in jail. And he's skeptical of the Mexican police.
"You don't want to get caught with medicine over there," he says. "In Mexico, you're guilty until proven innocent. Here, you're innocent until proven guilty."
Still, like many people following the decline of the peyote trade in Texas, he hopes that, someday, he might be permitted to import peyote into Texas. But time may be running out for him. Morales says that he knew he was getting older when Indians started calling him "grandpa" a few years ago.
Morales gets part-time help harvesting peyote from his sons in February, when deer season ends and Indians start arriving. But one son has a full-time job, and the other is more interested in his hobby of cockfighting than in picking medicine.
Morales has his eye on his 14-year-old grandson Angel, who's doing well in school and has good manners. Angel might be able to take over the family business someday. But he's not sure. "The medicine might be extinct in 25 years. Then everyone will have to go to Mexico."
Mauro Morales picks his way through mesquite trees and prickly pear cacti. The 65-year-old cautiously steps around a thicket of tasajillo, or rattail cactus, just down the road from his small ranch near Rio Grande City. Tasajillo thorns stick you like a fish hook, he says. Then there's the cola seca--the rattlesnake--another job hazard.
"We're far enough from a hospital that you probably wouldn't make it if you got bit," he says in a quiet voice, as though a snake might take his words as an invitation to strike.
Morales has been wandering through the chaparral for half an hour, staring at the ground. He combs over small rocks with a stick. Finally, he spots a greenish knob, sprouting out of the ground under the tasajillo thicket.
"There's some medicine, right there," he says. It's a lone peyote button, about an inch in diameter, way too small to harvest. It'll be another five years before this peyote is mature. As he navigates the hostile flora, he points to three more small peyote plants, all of them too young to cut.
"I used to collect as much in a week as I now do in a month," he says. "I don't know what's going to happen to the medicine."
Morales almost never utters the word "peyote." For him, the small green-gray cactus is a sacrament with miraculous healing powers, hence his word for it: medicine.
What makes peyote different from just about any other cactus in the world is that it naturally produces mescaline, a psychedelic alkaloid that can induce hallucinations lasting for days. It was mescaline that opened what Aldous Huxley called "the doors of perception" to "the divine source of all existence."
Before LSD, before Ecstasy, there was peyote.
Peyote and mescaline are both classified by the federal government as Schedule I Controlled Substances. This puts them in the same legal category as crack and heroin, drugs that, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, have "a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision."
Much recent scientific research contradicts the DEA's verdict on peyote. There is little evidence of any adverse long-term effects on physical health and virtually no evidence that it is addictive.
Still, harvesting and selling peyote is illegal for all but three people in the entire country. And those three people happen to be located in Texas, operating in a swath of South Texas between Rio Grande City and Laredo.
These people--Morales is one of them--are called peyoteros, people who make their living selling peyote buttons to the approximately 250,000 Indian members of the Native American Church. Only 20 years ago, there were dozens of peyoteros in small towns along the border. Now, two of the three still working are in their 60s. Meanwhile, membership in the Native American Church is growing, and demand for peyote is outstripping the limited supply.
For Native American Church members, this 70-mile stretch of land used to be known as the "peyote gardens"--the only place on U.S. soil where the cactus grows in its natural habitat.
"I talk to the medicine every day," Morales says. "I pray to it. I know it works, and I want to help the Natives in any way I can."
In his 1976 doctoral dissertation, "Man, Plant and Religion: Peyote Trade on the Mustang Plains of Texas," the geographer George Morgan speculated that Hispanic traders first bought peyote from a Mexican tribe called the Huichol. To this day, the Huichol harvest the cactus during their annual 250-mile pilgrimage from their homeland in the Sierra Madre to a sacred mountain in central Mexico. The pilgrimage takes them four weeks by foot and along the way, in the desolate Chihuahuan desert, they eat peyote, hunt deer and train a new generation to become shamans.
The Huichol, unlike most tribes, were never quite conquered by the Spaniards. They resisted Christianity and continue to practice an animist religion based on mystical beliefs about peyote, deer and corn. Morgan discovered that Mexicans brought peyote across the border and started trading it with marauding Indian tribes from Oklahoma in the late 19th century. These tribes then passed on the cactus to other Indians to the north and west. Soon, Indians from California were arriving in South Texas in search of the fabled peyote gardens.
Anglo authorities didn't look kindly upon the Hispanic-dominated peyote trade. In 1909, a U.S. special officer named William "Pussyfoot" Johnson bought up all the peyote in South Texas and burned it. According to Morgan, the operation worked for almost a year, until Johnson ran out of money. The Bureau of Indian Affairs convinced the post office to ban peyote sent by mail in 1917, but the ban had little effect since most Indians preferred to travel to the peyote gardens themselves. The post office lifted the ban a few years later.
After these early conflicts, Anglos mostly shrugged their shoulders and left peyoteros to their business, which was starting to flourish. Indians from Oklahoma started arriving on the Texas-Mexican railway with empty burlap sacks, which they would fill with thousands of buttons of dried peyote. In some places--such as the now-deserted town of Los Ojuelos--the peyote trade was the basis of the entire economy.
The peyoteros had a natural monopoly on their crop. Even though it's illegal to cultivate, there have been sporadic attempts to transplant the cactus to Oklahoma and New Mexico, all to no avail. In the United States, peyote will only grow in the hot, dry climate of South Texas.
The peyoteros remember a time a generation ago when Indians camped out and harvested their own peyote. "Back then, it was what we call open range," says Salvador Johnson, another peyotero. "You could harvest what you needed. At that time, ranchers were poorer than we were. They couldn't even afford feed for the cattle. Now those same ranchers are multimillionaires from oil and gas royalties."
Like many peyoteros, Johnson was a little mystified when peyote suddenly became trendy in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. It was during this time that the drug caught on among hippies and New Age folk, largely through the works of Carlos Castaneda, an anthropologist turned best-selling author.
Castaneda wrote a series of books about a shaman named Don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian who took the anthropologist under his wing. Don Juan believed that "mescalito"--a code word for peyote--was a vehicle for self-knowledge. Through mescalito, Don Juan said, one could learn how to fly and see beings in liquid colors. Under Don Juan's tutelage, the rational academic learned how to become a sorcerer and warrior.
Castaneda's books were a phenomenon. The author, however, turned out to be a fraud. He was denounced by fellow anthropologists for trying to pass off a fictional character as an authentic source. In a cover story in Time in 1973, the magazine presented evidence that the author had lied about his background, including his nationality. None of this, however, stopped the influx of peyote-seekers in the one place in the nation where the plant grew wild.
Poachers started arriving, many of them Anglo hippies from the West Coast. One of those poachers was Frank Collum ( not his real name ), a hippie from Connecticut who had heard about the peyote gardens through some Indian friends in New Mexico. When he first started going to South Texas in the early 1970s, he would hop a fence and camp out for a week.
Now, he doesn't think it's worth the risk of getting caught for trespassing. Collum still goes down to South Texas, but his Indian wife buys dried peyote from Salvador Johnson. ( In addition to belonging to the Native American Church, peyote buyers have to prove they are at least one-quarter related to a federally recognized Indian tribe. ) Collum raised his son in the Church, going to meetings that would include all-night ceremonies in a teepee. Those days are gone.
"Peyote is in jeopardy," he says. "You hear stories about it coming from Mexico now. The ranchers in Texas have put up tall fences you can't jump. Then, there are all the wetbacks and Border Patrol. There's just too much heat.
"A lot of the Natives are real sensitive about the situation," Collum says. "The supply will not meet the demand unless you can convince the ranchers to cooperate. And the ranchers, they don't give a fuck about peyote."
Ranchers used to be friendly with the peyoteros, who paid them a small lease for access to their land. In recent years, as land prices have skyrocketed and Hispanic immigration has boomed, Anglo ranchers have come to view the peyoteros as a nuisance. According to Morales, many ranchers would rather plow their fields to plant grass for cattle feed than protect their native plants.
Salvador Johnson used to be a full-time peyotero, but now it's a part-time job. Rather than fight the ranchers, he's started helping them organize hunting trips. He also works as a general contractor around his hometown of Mirando City, a hamlet about half an hour east of Laredo.
"The big money is in deer hunting," says Johnson.
Mauro Morales remembers when it was possible to find massive clumps of peyote growing wild. "There was medicine just a couple miles from my home," he says. He grew up on the same street where he still lives in a ramshackle, two-story pink house with a dirt driveway. As a young man, he worked in the fields harvesting peyote for extra money. The matriarch of the peyote trade, a woman named Amada Cardenas, first showed him peyote in 1950.
"Natives call the big ones 'chief,'" he says. "And when they find a chief, they get down and pray to it. Miss Cardenas showed me my first chief."
Morales says that it's getting harder and harder to find chiefs. The only way to ensure the supply, he says, is greenhouse cultivation, something he's discussed with botanists from around the world, including a group from Germany that visited him in January.
But Johnson, the only remaining peyotero in the once-thriving area east of Laredo known as the Mirando Valley, doesn't believe cultivation will solve the peyoteros' problems.
"Even if we buy the land, we don't have control of peyote because God put it here," he says. "We don't know how it grows, how it multiplies. God will give us what we need, and that's it. He's the one who makes the rain. He's the one who makes the peyote."
Johnson says that the tipping point for the peyoteros was the mid-1970s. As ranchers struck oil and gas, seemingly worthless South Texas scrubland became expensive. Many peyoteros found more lucrative work in the oil fields. Others were getting old and retiring. Stringent requirements for a peyote license, which include a letter of recommendation from the local sheriff, stopped a lot of young people from becoming peyoteros.
Johnson had returned from the Vietnam War and wasn't sure he wanted to continue the family tradition. He quit selling for a while in 1976. "We were selling peyote and making a profit, but I had to make sure I was doing the right thing for my family," Johnson says. "In the late 1970s, there were so many drugs on the market we had never seen before--angel dust, PCP, reds, yellows, blues. Then, the DEA classified peyote as a Schedule I substance. There were a lot of landowners who started to think peyote was a dangerous drug."
Johnson, a 60-year-old with a white mustache who looks like a well-tanned Wilford Brimley, wasn't sure he wanted to be associated with a drug most people thought was harmful and addictive.
"I said to myself that for me to continue doing what I'm doing, I need to understand this drug," he said. "I needed to have an understanding with my family that I was doing the right thing. I wanted to understand its effects on health."
So Johnson went to visit an Indian he'd known his entire life named Leslie Full Bull. For a few months, Johnson lived on a reservation in South Dakota and got to see for himself the long-term impact of peyote. He came away believing that the plant was a positive thing for the community.
"I'm really involved with the Native American Church," he says. "I'm so involved with it that I believe that I'm one of the smartest people in the world about peyote. I've been to Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota...Name a state, name a tribe of Indians that use peyote, I've been there."
The real test, though, was a firsthand experience of peyote in a Native American ceremony--a meeting.
"I got so involved in these meetings that the only way for me to understand what this peyote does is to take it."
According to Jody Patterson, supervisor of controlled substances registration with the Texas Department of Public Safety, peyoteros have to follow the same rules regarding peyote as everyone else. If they aren't one-quarter Indian and a member of the Native American Church, it's illegal no matter if it was taken as part of a religious ceremony.
Johnson, who says he's "probably" part Indian--"most Mexicans are"--has been taking peyote for "many, many years" and sees the legal niceties somewhat differently. He says he takes peyote only after it has been blessed by a high priest. He expects that the Indians he sells to will do the same.
"I can only hope that you're using it the right way," Johnson says. "Now, if I know you're using it the wrong way, I can report you and you'll be arrested."
Martin Terry is a Harvard-trained botanist at Sul Ross State University in Alpine who may be the world's leading authority on peyote. He runs a small nonprofit called the Cactus Conservation Institute, which is dedicated to saving peyote from extinction.
"I've become increasingly passionate about the conservation of cacti in the past 10 years," he wrote in a recent e-mail. "I've personally witnessed species becoming scarce in places where I had previously found them to be abundant."
Terry is afraid that the natural habitat for peyote in South Texas is being ruined by ranchers and poachers. "The problem is defined by access to land," he says. "The peyoteros are Hispanic. They work through family connections. More and more of the land is being bought up by Anglo owners who don't derive any benefit from the peyoteros. They don't give a damn about the peyoteros."
For the first time in history, Terry says, there's active patrolling of ranch grounds. Ranchers have cut back brush to allow trucks to ride along their fence lines. Ranchers want to protect against peyoteros getting in and deer getting out.
The ranchers' hands-off policy represents a dilemma for Terry. On one hand, protection against peyoteros will conserve the cactus. On the other, it prevents Indians from getting access to their sacred plant.
"From the point of view of the plant, the only threat is overharvesting," he says. "The fences and personnel that protect ranch lands from would-be harvesters are the very opposite of a threat, as the protected populations of peyote inside those fences are the only healthy ones in South Texas."
Still, Terry is sensitive to the peyoteros and their way of life. He considers Mauro Morales a personal friend. He wants to make sure that Indians have access to their cactus, but that's getting harder and harder.
"Everyone I talk to, they say peyote is getting more expensive," Terry says. "The buttons are getting smaller. It's now about 30 to 35 cents a button. Ten years ago it was a third of that."
As a botanist, Terry thinks he's found a solution--buying up land to protect the plant. But the price of land has skyrocketed.
"The only obstacle is the cost of buying a minimum of 2,000 acres of South Texas real estate," he says. "That means we're talking about something on the order of $2 million. For a relatively new 501©3 like the Cactus Conservation Institute, that's a fund-raising project of enormous magnitude."
It's also a challenge raising money to save a plant that the federal government considers a dangerous, addictive drug. But the biggest obstacle for conservation might be the Indians themselves. Many Indians are opposed to cultivating peyote in greenhouses. Their opposition stems from a mystical belief in the cactus as divinely planted.
Alden Naranjo, a Ute who's been traveling to the peyote gardens from Colorado since the 1960s, isn't too worked up about the disappearance of his sacrament.
"Peyote predates Christianity by thousands of years," he says. "Native Americans have their spirituality based in this sacrament. It came north to us from Mexico. I don't think it will disappear. We've used it for thousands of years, and it's still here."
Naranjo, like Salvador Johnson, doesn't want to see peyote grown in greenhouses. He would rather see it imported from Mexico, where 90 percent of the continent's supply grows. For Native Americans like Naranjo, the current crisis in the peyote supply is just the latest story in a history of injustices.
"It's just the white man's greed," he says. "The white man wants more land, and that discourages peyoteros. It's getting harder for us, with stricter trespass laws."
It wasn't always like that in Texas, he says. "A lot of that land was open. Before the oil speculators, land was cheap. Then the white man with his European concept of ownership came in. There's just too many white men."
There are, in fact, white members of the Native American Church. Frank Collum is one, and he's been welcomed into meetings by Indians. It took him a while to be accepted, but now that he's married to an Indian and a veteran of peyote meetings, he feels like he's just as much a part of the church as anyone. In the eyes of the law, however, it is illegal for Collum--or any non-Indian--to buy or consume peyote.
According to James Botsford, an attorney who has been defending peyote use by Indians for decades, there's a clear distinction between Indian and non-Indian peyote users. The law, he says, protects Native American Church members who can prove they have one grandparent from a federally recognized tribe.
There have been recent challenges to the law on First Amendment grounds. One case made it to the Utah Supreme Court, but the ban on peyote use by non-Indians remains.
"I'm comfortable with the law as it stands," Botsford says. "There's not enough peyote around to allow a broader interpretation of the law. Indian people understand peyote to be the flesh of God, something that the creator put here to help them pray."
A year ago, Mauro Morales started losing weight. He always looked forward to February when busloads of Indians descended on South Texas for meetings in the peyote gardens. Suddenly, though, he didn't have the energy to go hunting for medicine with his sons. Morales is a small man who has always weighed about 125 pounds.
"I was all skin and bones," he says. "I was down to about 97 pounds."
The doctors couldn't give Morales a clear diagnosis. They told him he needed to rest, so he spent most of his time on the couch. When the Indians arrived in February, they were shocked to learn that he could barely walk.
"The Indians kept saying, 'We need you, we need you,'" Morales says.
One Indian from South Dakota called Morales and told him he would come down to his place the next day. The man had been visiting Morales for decades, and like many Indians, he had formed a friendship with the peyotero. The Indian brought 20 people to pray for Morales in his little peyote garden behind his house. In the garden, Morales has clumps of old peyote--chiefs--as well as ultrarare specimens of the star cactus, a super-potent, highly endangered plant in the same family as peyote.
Morales' Indian friends often set up their teepees on his ranch about half an hour outside town to conduct their ceremonies. This time, though, the 20 Indians put the teepee behind Morales' house. It's not the most tranquil spot for a camp-out. The neighborhood is abuzz with ranchera music, crowing roosters and belching pickups. But the Indians wanted Morales to participate in the meeting, which goes from dusk to dawn with constant drumming, singing, praying and--of course--peyote eating.
"I was so sick," Morales says. "I didn't think I could make it in the teepee--you've got to be in there all night long. I got up at 5 a.m. to go out. I didn't want to go back in. It's so hot in there, and I'm sweating."
Still, he went back in. Morales, who had spent the majority of his life working around peyote, had never used it. Now, with his Indian friends praying over him, he took the medicine.
"I've only taken it when I've been real sick," he says. Days later, Morales started gaining weight. He got off the couch and was able to walk without pain. He's not sure how it worked, but he's convinced that the medicine--along with the Indians' prayers--healed him. Now, when they come back to Morales' place, he cuts them a deal, selling them bags of peyote at $200 a piece, which amounts to a significant discount from his regular price of $350.
"You've got to have faith in the medicine," he says. "Without faith, it won't work."
Morales says he's seen the medicine work for others as well. The most miraculous case he's seen happened when his brother was dying in the hospital. A doctor called Morales to tell him the brother had two days left. Morales started calling his family. At the same time, a group of Indians was visiting him to stock up on peyote before heading back to Arizona.
"One of them told me to write my brother's name on a piece of paper," he said. Morales wrote the name--Ajeo--and the Indians left. He didn't ask the Indians' names because he didn't believe it would work. "They told me not to worry because my brother wasn't going to die."
The family gathered at the hospital, thinking that it would only be a matter of hours. Days passed, and Ajeo held on. He didn't die for another six months. Weeks after the Indians left, one of them called Morales.
"He asked how my brother was doing," he says. "I said that he was still alive. He said it was the medicine. They were praying for him."
Other terminally ill people have turned up at Morales' door, looking for medicine. He would like to be able to help them, but if he deals to the wrong people, Morales' license to sell peyote could be revoked.
"One woman drove here from San Antonio," he says. "She had been taking chemo, and it wasn't working. Nothing had really worked for her, and someone had mentioned the medicine. But she didn't have the papers, so I had to turn her away.
"If you don't have papers, I can't sell to you," he says. Then, with a little smile, he adds, "but I can tell you where you might find it."
As Morales explains the magical power of the medicine, he inspects his supply. So far, business has been slow for the winter. It was still deer season in early January and Morales couldn't harvest much peyote if he wanted to. He sold about 5,000 buttons for December, which means that he netted around $1,750. Subtract wages for his handful of part-time workers, and it becomes clear that Morales isn't making much money, even though the price of peyote has more than doubled in the past 10 years.
He keeps thousands of buttons ready to sell. Stored in large wooden trays behind his house, some of them are covered by tarps and others by a makeshift roof. There's little security to protect his supply, but he says he's never had a problem with theft.
Morales bends down to demonstrate his technique for cutting the plant above the root so that it will grow back. He puts a button on a table and cuts a slice open. He offers it to me to smell. He gives me a little nod as if to indicate that I should try it. Without asking permission, I take a bite. Morales smiles. It tastes like a dirty, raw potato. The little button seems to suck all the moisture right out of my mouth. Suddenly, it starts tasting spicy, like a raw jalapeno. The feeling is intolerable, and I spit it out.
"Maybe you just don't have the faith," he says, winking at me.
Humberto Fernandez--known universally as Don Humberto in the village of Real de Catorce, Mexico--eats peyote for breakfast. One button--it's just enough to get him going for the day.
Don Humberto was a young Mexican hippie bumming around California in the 1970s when he heard about peyote growing wild near a ghost town in the mountains of central Mexico. As it turned out, the ghost town--Real de Catorce--was close to his hometown in the state of San Luis Potosi.
"I was hanging out in the esoteric sections of bookstores in California and reading about the Huichol Indians and peyote," he says. "I said, 'Wow, that's where I'm from.' I didn't know anything about it growing up."
On a whim, Don Humberto moved to the town and started renovating a colonial building a few blocks from the cathedral. He turned it into a boutique hotel that catered to Europeans who had heard about peyote. About 10 years ago, primarily through word of mouth, peyote tourism in the town boomed.
Before he knew it, Don Humberto was hosting Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, who came to town to film The Mexican. He points to a corner of his restaurant where Pitt ate breakfast every morning for two months. Don Humberto, with his aquiline nose and stringy black-and-gray beard, looks like a Hollywood character actor--the classic ethnic bad guy. His involvement with The Mexican led to a bit part in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but his heart is still in Real de Catorce, where he's the most recognizable face in town.
"I came here as a dropout," he says. "There was nothing in town when I arrived. There was one lady on the corner who sold rice, beans and eggs. That was it. People asked me why I was coming here, but I had a dream, a vision."
About 90 percent of the town's economy revolves around tourism. There isn't much to see in the town--an old church, some crumbling colonial architecture and abandoned silver mines. The sacred mountain of the Huichol, Wirikuta, is just an hour's horseback ride away.
While most of the locals embrace the new peyote tourism, it also attracts some unsavory characters. On street corners, young men harass foreigners for a "ride in the desert." For about $70, they'll take tourists out to the peyote gardens below the mountains. It's technically illegal, but no one seems to care much. As Don Humberto says, peyote tourists are the core of the town's livelihood.
He's hoping that Indians longing for the lost peyote gardens of South Texas will work their way to his little village on a mountaintop. He's already seen a few relocate to Real. An Indian from San Antonio bought a house and lives there part-time. Then Don Humberto and his Swiss wife, Cornelia, met a group of Indians near the Four Corners who promised to come.
"They said they had a vision that was leading them down here," says Cornelia, who was attracted to Real 20 years ago, in part because of peyote. "But peyote's not for everyone," she adds.
Cornelia and Don Humberto see peyote tourism as both a blessing and a curse. When tourists first started arriving in big numbers, local police preyed on them. "Police used to harass foreign tourists," Cornelia says. "They'd take watches and cameras as bribes. Now, they leave everyone alone."
She says that there's an unspoken agreement that police will never go into the desert looking for peyote seekers. "But," she says, "if you take it out and get caught with it, you could go to prison."
The Mexican government also has ambivalent feelings about the foreign influx. It has designated the area around Real de Catorce as a protected natural and cultural reserve. Although the government wants to promote tourism to the region, it also passes out fliers warning peyote seekers that the collection and trafficking of the cactus can be punished with up to 25 years in prison.
On the other hand, there's a long history of peyote's use as a folk medicine in northern Mexico. Mexicans have been using peyote as a cure-all for rheumatism, arthritis and other ailments for centuries. They drink it in teas or rub it directly on the skin.
Martin Terry says that even here in San Luis Potosi--the peyote heartland--the cactus is endangered. He says that the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( UNAM )--the biggest and most prestigious university in Mexico--keeps GPS data on clusters of peyote plants around the sacred area of the Huichol. Last summer, someone ripped huge roots from the area. They squeezed the mescaline out of the cactus and left the roots to die. He thinks it may be a drug cartel.
"Only six years ago, it was a place of great abundance," he says. When he went back this summer, "there were just a few plants left. Those that were of no value were left to die."
Frank Collum, the Anglo peyote eater and sometime poacher, says that Native Americans should back off the Mexican peyote gardens. "If it keeps going like it is," he says, "there'll be a war with the Huichol. They eat an incredible amount of peyote. They've got their own problems with the Mexican government."
One local from Real de Catorce, Juan Hernandez, makes his living taking foreigners to the sacred places of the Huichol on horseback. He charges about $20 per horse and serves as a guide. Hernandez is a mestizo who lives in town, but he has close ties to the Indians.
"They call me before they start their pilgrimage in April," he says. "It takes them about four weeks to walk here and when they get here, I have firewood and food ready for them."
Hernandez guides three horses straight up a mountaintop to a spiral of stones. It's not much of a monument, but the landscape is breathtaking, with a view of the Chihuahuan desert stretching as far as the eye can see. Hernandez says that this is the birthplace of the god of the sun, Quetzal. He rubs coins across his body--it is a symbol of cleansing--and enters the stone spiral. When he gets to the center, he places the coins on a mound of other offerings. There are old shoes, a driver's license, candles, and Mexican and U.S. coins.
"This is a place of spiritual renewal," he says.
Hernandez follows many of the Huichol practices--including peyote eating. He prefers to mix it with chocolate or fruit juice so he's not likely to vomit it back up. He likes it because it gives him energy. He believes--like the Huichol-- that the peyote ceremony on Wirikuta releases the shamans' spirits from their bodies. He's seen their spirits flying around the mountains like large, colorful birds.
But he's not immune to the transformations going on in his hometown. His eyes light up when the name Brad Pitt is mentioned. "He was so cool," Hernandez says. "We all hung out with him for two months when he wasn't filming."
Mauro Morales looks a little worried when he talks about Mexican peyote. He knows that there's much more medicine on the other side of the border, but he's not crossing the river to seek it out. Even though he's a licensed dealer, transporting the stuff across the border would land him in jail. And he's skeptical of the Mexican police.
"You don't want to get caught with medicine over there," he says. "In Mexico, you're guilty until proven innocent. Here, you're innocent until proven guilty."
Still, like many people following the decline of the peyote trade in Texas, he hopes that, someday, he might be permitted to import peyote into Texas. But time may be running out for him. Morales says that he knew he was getting older when Indians started calling him "grandpa" a few years ago.
Morales gets part-time help harvesting peyote from his sons in February, when deer season ends and Indians start arriving. But one son has a full-time job, and the other is more interested in his hobby of cockfighting than in picking medicine.
Morales has his eye on his 14-year-old grandson Angel, who's doing well in school and has good manners. Angel might be able to take over the family business someday. But he's not sure. "The medicine might be extinct in 25 years. Then everyone will have to go to Mexico."
Sunday, February 10, 2008
PROPOSED RECOVERY HOUSE WORRIES RESIDENTS
Christian Organizations Focus on East Side Neighbourhood
The city's director of planning will seek city council's advice before deciding on a proposed 10-bed alcohol and drug recovery house at 49th and Fraser.
Brent Toderian will also hear concerns of area residents and businesses at a planning and environment meeting at city hall Feb. 14.
Planning staff received 17 letters from citizens opposed to the proposal, and petitions from the South Hill ( Fraser Street ) Business Association, the B.C. Khalsa Darbar Society, the Universal Buddhist Temple and the community in response to 141 notifications distributed to neighbouring property owners. Staff heard concerns about crime and parking.
A resident who lives five doors from the proposed location at 655 East 49th doesn't want to see another drug and alcohol recovery treatment in the area. "I got a list of all the residential alcohol and drug recovery places in Vancouver, of which there are 11, and this proposed one is the twelfth one," said Jenny Chin Peterson, a principal of a Vancouver elementary school outside the area. "This would be the third one along the Fraser corridor, so it'll be the third one in two miles... There's nowhere else in the city that I could see, after I mapped it out, that there's that many condensed in one area."
However, a city staff report states: "The proposed location at 655 E. 49th Ave. is in the Sunset local area, which has among the lowest number of [special needs residential facility] beds in the city, with 1.4 beds per 1,000 population, compared to a city average of 10.4 beds per 1,000."
The Place of Refuge Society, a Christian organization sponsored by five area Mennonite Churches, has applied for the facility's development permit. The Hope for Freedom Society, also a Christian organization that runs six similar houses in Port Coquitlam, is to operate the program that is based on alcoholics and narcotics anonymous. The facility would be staffed 24 hours. Facility residents, who must be drug and alcohol-free for at least 90 days, could stay up to 13 weeks or longer.
The Place of Refuge Society's volunteer chair, Erich Krause, and his wife, Gerda, bought the property on East 49th. The society is to buy it from them at cost after a fundriasing drive. Krause can't understand why residents aren't pleased that a home for people committed to abstinence will replace the boarding house that was there before. He said it previously functioned as a crack house used by sex trade workers.
Chin Peterson agrees that the area has been plagued by crime and drug dealing. But said she wasn't familiar with problems stemming from the proposed facility site. She wonders how recovery house staff are going to ensure tenants are drug-free without onsite drug testing, and about the wisdom of placing the facility two blocks from a methadone clinic.
Chin Peterson doesn't doubt that the Hope for Freedom Society has seen success in Port Coquitlam, but she presumes their success occurred in a more stable community. "This community is a community that is struggling."
If the facility is approved, the Hope for Freedom Society will be required to name a liaison person, likely a staff person, to whom neighbours can direct concerns. It will also have a time-limited permit, likely a year.
Chin Peterson worries if the facility fails, the building will revert back to a rooming house.
Kelly Gill, who lives next to the proposed site and owns four commercial properties on Fraser, is annoyed by what he sees as an inadequate notification process. The city notifies land owners identified on its tax rolls, not tenants. Gill expects the facility will drive down property values and put a greater strain on the already insufficient parking in the area.
The director of planning is expected to make his decision within two weeks of Thursday's 2 p.m. city hall meeting.
The city's director of planning will seek city council's advice before deciding on a proposed 10-bed alcohol and drug recovery house at 49th and Fraser.
Brent Toderian will also hear concerns of area residents and businesses at a planning and environment meeting at city hall Feb. 14.
Planning staff received 17 letters from citizens opposed to the proposal, and petitions from the South Hill ( Fraser Street ) Business Association, the B.C. Khalsa Darbar Society, the Universal Buddhist Temple and the community in response to 141 notifications distributed to neighbouring property owners. Staff heard concerns about crime and parking.
A resident who lives five doors from the proposed location at 655 East 49th doesn't want to see another drug and alcohol recovery treatment in the area. "I got a list of all the residential alcohol and drug recovery places in Vancouver, of which there are 11, and this proposed one is the twelfth one," said Jenny Chin Peterson, a principal of a Vancouver elementary school outside the area. "This would be the third one along the Fraser corridor, so it'll be the third one in two miles... There's nowhere else in the city that I could see, after I mapped it out, that there's that many condensed in one area."
However, a city staff report states: "The proposed location at 655 E. 49th Ave. is in the Sunset local area, which has among the lowest number of [special needs residential facility] beds in the city, with 1.4 beds per 1,000 population, compared to a city average of 10.4 beds per 1,000."
The Place of Refuge Society, a Christian organization sponsored by five area Mennonite Churches, has applied for the facility's development permit. The Hope for Freedom Society, also a Christian organization that runs six similar houses in Port Coquitlam, is to operate the program that is based on alcoholics and narcotics anonymous. The facility would be staffed 24 hours. Facility residents, who must be drug and alcohol-free for at least 90 days, could stay up to 13 weeks or longer.
The Place of Refuge Society's volunteer chair, Erich Krause, and his wife, Gerda, bought the property on East 49th. The society is to buy it from them at cost after a fundriasing drive. Krause can't understand why residents aren't pleased that a home for people committed to abstinence will replace the boarding house that was there before. He said it previously functioned as a crack house used by sex trade workers.
Chin Peterson agrees that the area has been plagued by crime and drug dealing. But said she wasn't familiar with problems stemming from the proposed facility site. She wonders how recovery house staff are going to ensure tenants are drug-free without onsite drug testing, and about the wisdom of placing the facility two blocks from a methadone clinic.
Chin Peterson doesn't doubt that the Hope for Freedom Society has seen success in Port Coquitlam, but she presumes their success occurred in a more stable community. "This community is a community that is struggling."
If the facility is approved, the Hope for Freedom Society will be required to name a liaison person, likely a staff person, to whom neighbours can direct concerns. It will also have a time-limited permit, likely a year.
Chin Peterson worries if the facility fails, the building will revert back to a rooming house.
Kelly Gill, who lives next to the proposed site and owns four commercial properties on Fraser, is annoyed by what he sees as an inadequate notification process. The city notifies land owners identified on its tax rolls, not tenants. Gill expects the facility will drive down property values and put a greater strain on the already insufficient parking in the area.
The director of planning is expected to make his decision within two weeks of Thursday's 2 p.m. city hall meeting.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
AMERICA'S DRUG WAR HITS WOMEN
Oklahoman Tina Thomas has been caught up in the American war on drugs.
In many respects, she fits the common profile of a woman doing time for a drug-related offense. Her crimes have ranged from possession to check forgery and theft, including an arrest for trying to steal a $64 comforter from Wal-Mart. Eventually sentenced to a two-year state prison term, Thomas admits that she committed her crimes to feed the "800-pound gorilla on my back that I just hadn't been able to shake."
Thomas is part of an alarming statistical trend and a modern-day American phenomenon. For starters, she is one of half a million people ( roughly one-fourth of the total prison population ) locked up on drug-related charges. Thomas is also an inmate in a state that locks up women at one of the highest per capita rates -- 129 per 100,000 residents, a figure that is right behind Texas, the federal system and California. Oklahoma's imprisonment of women rose a stunning 1,237 percent from 1997 to 2004.
Drug addiction is what led Thomas down the river to prison, she admits freely. What's a bit more unusual about her is that she holds a medical doctorate from the University of Illinois, and was a practicing neurologist and professor at a teaching hospital. She stood out in her field to such a degree that her colleagues felt uncomfortable around here, particularly after she disclosed she was a lesbian. What Thomas didn't disclose, however, was an early childhood marred by incest, the lingering pain from which she used cocaine as an escape. Unfortunately, her cocaine use took a painful turn into a full-blown crack addiction.
Thomas and other women have had the misfortune of being sucked into what the federal government calls the "war on drugs." We have our own "drug czar," who sits atop the massive Office of National Drug Control Policy ( ONDCP ). President Nixon started this war in 1969, and President Reagan kicked it into high gear. It's been a full-throttle battle since, even through the Clinton years.
By 1980, the number of drug-related arrests stood at 581,000. Just 10 years later, that number had nearly doubled to 1,090,000.
In 2005, the FBI reported that law enforcement officers made more arrests for drug-abuse violations ( 1.8 million ) than for any other offense.
One of the most surprising facts about these figures, as far as police are concerned, is the drug of choice: marijuana. Cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug, which means that it is one of the most dangerous drugs imaginable.
Cocaine, on the other hand, a leading cause of overdose deaths, is classified as a Schedule II. So is PCP. Go figure.
In 2005, nearly 43 percent of all drug arrests were for cannabis possession ( 37.7 percent ) or "sales and manufacture" ( 4.3 percent ). That's millions of arrests and billions of dollars -- and amounts to a lot of misery and money down the drain.
In 2008, the ONDCP drug-war budget will reach a record $12.9 billion, with $8 billion of this funding being funneled into law enforcement. Bear in mind that these are only the official numbers. Many criminal justice experts point out that the figure doesn't incorporate the costs of incarcerating people sentenced for drug offenses. The real expenditure, including the costs of imprisonment, comes close to $22 billion, according to an analysis by the drug policy newsletter, Drug War Chronicle.
We're not getting much of a bang for these big bucks. Unintentional drug overdoses have become the second-most common form of accidental death after car crashes. While the government increases funding for antidrug missions in Colombia and Afghanistan by tens of millions every year, federal allocations to the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment are being cut by $32 million in 2008.
A 2006 Government Accountability Office report revealed that our $1.4 billion antidrug media blitz wasn't working, either. And it wasn't the first organization to note this. In 2003, the White House Office of Management and Budget disclosed that it found these ads lacking in any demonstrable success.
What's worse, the people who need help aren't getting it. In the rest of the Western world, assistance with drug and alcohol problems is widely accessible. They predominantly view heavy drug use or full-blown addiction as public health issues, not behavioral issues subject to prosecution ( except in cases involving other criminal activity ).
In the United States, however, rehabilitation and counseling are difficult to access without money. The waiting lists for free or subsidized rehabilitation programs can run from a few months to a couple of years -- even in progressive cities like San Francisco or Seattle.
Most American women, as well as men, have used some form of intoxicant ( legal or illegal ) during their lives, and half of all women ages 15 to 54 admit to having used illegal drugs specifically.
An estimated 22 million Americans are currently dependent on alcohol, drugs or both, although the real number is likely to be much higher, particularly as the figure does not take into account the 71.5 million people age 12 and up who use tobacco -- many of whom are likely addicted to nicotine.
Anyone who has ever smoked cigarettes habitually can relate to what even heroin and other hard-drug users have told me on several occasions -- that nicotine is the most addictive drug they have ever taken, and the hardest substance to quit. ( Small wonder that the tobacco ban in many prisons has started a fierce black market, where a single cigarette can cost between $5 and $10. )
Regardless of whether they are caught, more than 9 million women each year use illicit drugs, and another 3.7 million use prescription drugs without medical authorization.
One such woman, Danielle Pascu, 29, got hooked on prescription drugs after the birth of her daughter. At first she was grateful for the prescribed Vicodin that got her though the lingering pain from a caesarean section and untreated postpartum depression.
But it didn't take Pascu long to develop a full-blown habit, where she was eventually falsifying her prescriptions in order to get more. Pascu had no criminal record, had never used drugs before and was generally unaware of the risks involved. These days, Pascu is serving nearly three years in the sun-baked and dilapidated Arizona State Prison Complex in Perryville.
At this point, drug violations and property offenses account for a majority ( 59 percent ) of females in state prison. By comparison, men in both of these offense categories add up to just 39.5 percent. Meanwhile, in federal prison, women and men convicted of drug offenses constitute nearly 60 percent of inmates.
Tina Thomas knows that she has a quadruple strike to overcome. She's a black female with a former cocaine addiction, in a state that prefers to lock people up for substance abuse and that will deprive her of public assistance when she gets out. She now faces a lifetime ban on federal benefits, including contracts, licenses and grants.
As a drug offender, Thomas won't be able to get Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ( TANF ) if she should ever need it. Food assistance, higher-education funding and even income tax deductions for pursuing a college degree are all yanked away from most felony drug offenders.
Yet nearly every other category of ex-offender -- including sex offenders, murderers, arsonists and perpetrators of domestic violence - -- is eligible for these benefits. And, as if all this isn't bad enough, Thomas will find that even getting a job will be difficult, because she must report herself as an ex-felon.
I'm often asked whether African Americans might just be using drugs more than any other group of people. My response is always met with disbelief until I prove it with the government's own health statistics: African Americans constitute only 15 percent of drug users nationwide.
FBI data, at first glance, appears to show Euro-Americans bearing the brunt of drug-related arrests. Numerically speaking, they do, in that they are still the majority of the U.S. population. But a closer look reveals something else: African Americans are arrested at three times the rate of their demographic representation.
Marc Mauer, executive director of the Washington D.C.-based Sentencing Project, asks the very pertinent question of whether police are arresting crack and cocaine users in general, or specifically going into communities of color and lower-income neighborhoods, where some people are using drugs and engaging in the street trade.
"Conducting drug arrests in minority neighborhoods does have advantages for law enforcement," writes Mauer in his 2006 book, Race to Incarcerate. "First, it is far easier to make arrests in such areas, since drug dealing is more likely to take place in open-air drug markets. In contrast, drug dealing is suburban neighborhoods almost invariably takes place behind closed doors and is therefore not readily identifiable to passing police."
This is a crucial point. Many substance users are men and women with professional careers. People with middle-to upper-class incomes tend to use their drugs behind doors in nice houses, in well-to-do neighborhoods. They slip under the drug war radar, just as college students do.
A quarter of full-time undergraduate students meet the criteria for substance abuse or dependence, something the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse calls "wasting the best and brightest."
Yet none of this is anything that the Office of National Drug Control Policy cares to have mentioned, much less examine. It's just another one of those inconvenient truths.
In many respects, she fits the common profile of a woman doing time for a drug-related offense. Her crimes have ranged from possession to check forgery and theft, including an arrest for trying to steal a $64 comforter from Wal-Mart. Eventually sentenced to a two-year state prison term, Thomas admits that she committed her crimes to feed the "800-pound gorilla on my back that I just hadn't been able to shake."
Thomas is part of an alarming statistical trend and a modern-day American phenomenon. For starters, she is one of half a million people ( roughly one-fourth of the total prison population ) locked up on drug-related charges. Thomas is also an inmate in a state that locks up women at one of the highest per capita rates -- 129 per 100,000 residents, a figure that is right behind Texas, the federal system and California. Oklahoma's imprisonment of women rose a stunning 1,237 percent from 1997 to 2004.
Drug addiction is what led Thomas down the river to prison, she admits freely. What's a bit more unusual about her is that she holds a medical doctorate from the University of Illinois, and was a practicing neurologist and professor at a teaching hospital. She stood out in her field to such a degree that her colleagues felt uncomfortable around here, particularly after she disclosed she was a lesbian. What Thomas didn't disclose, however, was an early childhood marred by incest, the lingering pain from which she used cocaine as an escape. Unfortunately, her cocaine use took a painful turn into a full-blown crack addiction.
Thomas and other women have had the misfortune of being sucked into what the federal government calls the "war on drugs." We have our own "drug czar," who sits atop the massive Office of National Drug Control Policy ( ONDCP ). President Nixon started this war in 1969, and President Reagan kicked it into high gear. It's been a full-throttle battle since, even through the Clinton years.
By 1980, the number of drug-related arrests stood at 581,000. Just 10 years later, that number had nearly doubled to 1,090,000.
In 2005, the FBI reported that law enforcement officers made more arrests for drug-abuse violations ( 1.8 million ) than for any other offense.
One of the most surprising facts about these figures, as far as police are concerned, is the drug of choice: marijuana. Cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug, which means that it is one of the most dangerous drugs imaginable.
Cocaine, on the other hand, a leading cause of overdose deaths, is classified as a Schedule II. So is PCP. Go figure.
In 2005, nearly 43 percent of all drug arrests were for cannabis possession ( 37.7 percent ) or "sales and manufacture" ( 4.3 percent ). That's millions of arrests and billions of dollars -- and amounts to a lot of misery and money down the drain.
In 2008, the ONDCP drug-war budget will reach a record $12.9 billion, with $8 billion of this funding being funneled into law enforcement. Bear in mind that these are only the official numbers. Many criminal justice experts point out that the figure doesn't incorporate the costs of incarcerating people sentenced for drug offenses. The real expenditure, including the costs of imprisonment, comes close to $22 billion, according to an analysis by the drug policy newsletter, Drug War Chronicle.
We're not getting much of a bang for these big bucks. Unintentional drug overdoses have become the second-most common form of accidental death after car crashes. While the government increases funding for antidrug missions in Colombia and Afghanistan by tens of millions every year, federal allocations to the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment are being cut by $32 million in 2008.
A 2006 Government Accountability Office report revealed that our $1.4 billion antidrug media blitz wasn't working, either. And it wasn't the first organization to note this. In 2003, the White House Office of Management and Budget disclosed that it found these ads lacking in any demonstrable success.
What's worse, the people who need help aren't getting it. In the rest of the Western world, assistance with drug and alcohol problems is widely accessible. They predominantly view heavy drug use or full-blown addiction as public health issues, not behavioral issues subject to prosecution ( except in cases involving other criminal activity ).
In the United States, however, rehabilitation and counseling are difficult to access without money. The waiting lists for free or subsidized rehabilitation programs can run from a few months to a couple of years -- even in progressive cities like San Francisco or Seattle.
Most American women, as well as men, have used some form of intoxicant ( legal or illegal ) during their lives, and half of all women ages 15 to 54 admit to having used illegal drugs specifically.
An estimated 22 million Americans are currently dependent on alcohol, drugs or both, although the real number is likely to be much higher, particularly as the figure does not take into account the 71.5 million people age 12 and up who use tobacco -- many of whom are likely addicted to nicotine.
Anyone who has ever smoked cigarettes habitually can relate to what even heroin and other hard-drug users have told me on several occasions -- that nicotine is the most addictive drug they have ever taken, and the hardest substance to quit. ( Small wonder that the tobacco ban in many prisons has started a fierce black market, where a single cigarette can cost between $5 and $10. )
Regardless of whether they are caught, more than 9 million women each year use illicit drugs, and another 3.7 million use prescription drugs without medical authorization.
One such woman, Danielle Pascu, 29, got hooked on prescription drugs after the birth of her daughter. At first she was grateful for the prescribed Vicodin that got her though the lingering pain from a caesarean section and untreated postpartum depression.
But it didn't take Pascu long to develop a full-blown habit, where she was eventually falsifying her prescriptions in order to get more. Pascu had no criminal record, had never used drugs before and was generally unaware of the risks involved. These days, Pascu is serving nearly three years in the sun-baked and dilapidated Arizona State Prison Complex in Perryville.
At this point, drug violations and property offenses account for a majority ( 59 percent ) of females in state prison. By comparison, men in both of these offense categories add up to just 39.5 percent. Meanwhile, in federal prison, women and men convicted of drug offenses constitute nearly 60 percent of inmates.
Tina Thomas knows that she has a quadruple strike to overcome. She's a black female with a former cocaine addiction, in a state that prefers to lock people up for substance abuse and that will deprive her of public assistance when she gets out. She now faces a lifetime ban on federal benefits, including contracts, licenses and grants.
As a drug offender, Thomas won't be able to get Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ( TANF ) if she should ever need it. Food assistance, higher-education funding and even income tax deductions for pursuing a college degree are all yanked away from most felony drug offenders.
Yet nearly every other category of ex-offender -- including sex offenders, murderers, arsonists and perpetrators of domestic violence - -- is eligible for these benefits. And, as if all this isn't bad enough, Thomas will find that even getting a job will be difficult, because she must report herself as an ex-felon.
I'm often asked whether African Americans might just be using drugs more than any other group of people. My response is always met with disbelief until I prove it with the government's own health statistics: African Americans constitute only 15 percent of drug users nationwide.
FBI data, at first glance, appears to show Euro-Americans bearing the brunt of drug-related arrests. Numerically speaking, they do, in that they are still the majority of the U.S. population. But a closer look reveals something else: African Americans are arrested at three times the rate of their demographic representation.
Marc Mauer, executive director of the Washington D.C.-based Sentencing Project, asks the very pertinent question of whether police are arresting crack and cocaine users in general, or specifically going into communities of color and lower-income neighborhoods, where some people are using drugs and engaging in the street trade.
"Conducting drug arrests in minority neighborhoods does have advantages for law enforcement," writes Mauer in his 2006 book, Race to Incarcerate. "First, it is far easier to make arrests in such areas, since drug dealing is more likely to take place in open-air drug markets. In contrast, drug dealing is suburban neighborhoods almost invariably takes place behind closed doors and is therefore not readily identifiable to passing police."
This is a crucial point. Many substance users are men and women with professional careers. People with middle-to upper-class incomes tend to use their drugs behind doors in nice houses, in well-to-do neighborhoods. They slip under the drug war radar, just as college students do.
A quarter of full-time undergraduate students meet the criteria for substance abuse or dependence, something the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse calls "wasting the best and brightest."
Yet none of this is anything that the Office of National Drug Control Policy cares to have mentioned, much less examine. It's just another one of those inconvenient truths.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Afghanistan: Taliban Windfall As Opium Crop Is Set for Another Bumper Year
Afghanistan, the world's biggest opium producer, is set for another bumper crop this year, providing a windfall for the Taliban who tax farmers to finance their fight against government and foreign forces.
More than six years after US-led and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban, the failure to bring opium production under control means Afghanistan is now locked in a vicious circle. Drug money fuels the Taliban insurgency and corruption, weakening government control over large parts of the country, which in turn allows more opium to be produced.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) predicted the 2008 opium crop would be similar to, or slightly lower than, last year's record harvest. In 2007, Afghanistan had more land growing drugs than Colombia, Bolivia and Peru combined.
"While it is encouraging that the dramatic increases of the past few years seem to be levelling off, the total amount of opium being harvested remains shockingly high," said UNODC chief Antonio Maria Costa.
Opium is processed into heroin and smuggled mainly to Europe, where users often turn to crime to pay for the drug. "Europe and other major heroin markets should brace themselves for the health and security consequences," he said.
Opium poppy cultivation is concentrated in the south where the Taliban are strongest, and where British troops are based. Opium production is growing "at an alarming rate" in the south and west, the UN said.
All poppy farmers surveyed in southern Afghanistan said they paid 10% of their opium income to the Taliban or corrupt government officials.
"This is a windfall for anti-government forces," Costa said. "Further evidence of the dangerous link between opium and insurgency."
The report comes as Afghan ministers and international donors meet in Japan to discuss developments in Afghanistan. Britain is pushing for long-term investment in infrastructure and assistance for Afghan farmers.
Afghanistan is calling for more aid to stamp out opium production, but diplomats and analysts say President Hamid Karzai has failed to deal with corruption among government officials.
"We can only fight drugs in Afghanistan by the support of the international community," said General Khodaidad, acting Minister of Counter Narcotics, who uses one name.
Japan, host of the two-day meeting, responded by announcing new assistance of UKP55m, including UKP5m for police reform and UKP4.5m for border management.
However, Afghanistan's plea for more assistance comes as the United States and its allies struggle to co-ordinate policy in the face of rising Taliban attacks. Canada has threatened to pull out unless other Nato countries contribute more.
Violence in Afghanistan worsened last year and at least 10,000 people, including about 300 foreign troops, have been killed in Afghanistan in the past two years, aid groups say.
Meanwhile, the number of Afghan civilians killed by accident by US or Nato forces in air strikes and ground battles doubled between 2006 and 2007, the aid agencies claimed.
Human Rights Watch and the Project for Defence Alternatives ( PDA ) said that 272 men, women and children died in bombing raids, 62 were killed by ground fire and 16 were lost to a combination of the two last year.
This contrasted with 116 known deaths from coalition bombs and 114 from small arms and artillery fire in 2006. The coalition's increasing reliance on air power to compensate for the lack of troop numbers on the ground was the major cause of the increase in "collateral damage", said a PDA spokesman.
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More than six years after US-led and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban, the failure to bring opium production under control means Afghanistan is now locked in a vicious circle. Drug money fuels the Taliban insurgency and corruption, weakening government control over large parts of the country, which in turn allows more opium to be produced.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) predicted the 2008 opium crop would be similar to, or slightly lower than, last year's record harvest. In 2007, Afghanistan had more land growing drugs than Colombia, Bolivia and Peru combined.
"While it is encouraging that the dramatic increases of the past few years seem to be levelling off, the total amount of opium being harvested remains shockingly high," said UNODC chief Antonio Maria Costa.
Opium is processed into heroin and smuggled mainly to Europe, where users often turn to crime to pay for the drug. "Europe and other major heroin markets should brace themselves for the health and security consequences," he said.
Opium poppy cultivation is concentrated in the south where the Taliban are strongest, and where British troops are based. Opium production is growing "at an alarming rate" in the south and west, the UN said.
All poppy farmers surveyed in southern Afghanistan said they paid 10% of their opium income to the Taliban or corrupt government officials.
"This is a windfall for anti-government forces," Costa said. "Further evidence of the dangerous link between opium and insurgency."
The report comes as Afghan ministers and international donors meet in Japan to discuss developments in Afghanistan. Britain is pushing for long-term investment in infrastructure and assistance for Afghan farmers.
Afghanistan is calling for more aid to stamp out opium production, but diplomats and analysts say President Hamid Karzai has failed to deal with corruption among government officials.
"We can only fight drugs in Afghanistan by the support of the international community," said General Khodaidad, acting Minister of Counter Narcotics, who uses one name.
Japan, host of the two-day meeting, responded by announcing new assistance of UKP55m, including UKP5m for police reform and UKP4.5m for border management.
However, Afghanistan's plea for more assistance comes as the United States and its allies struggle to co-ordinate policy in the face of rising Taliban attacks. Canada has threatened to pull out unless other Nato countries contribute more.
Violence in Afghanistan worsened last year and at least 10,000 people, including about 300 foreign troops, have been killed in Afghanistan in the past two years, aid groups say.
Meanwhile, the number of Afghan civilians killed by accident by US or Nato forces in air strikes and ground battles doubled between 2006 and 2007, the aid agencies claimed.
Human Rights Watch and the Project for Defence Alternatives ( PDA ) said that 272 men, women and children died in bombing raids, 62 were killed by ground fire and 16 were lost to a combination of the two last year.
This contrasted with 116 known deaths from coalition bombs and 114 from small arms and artillery fire in 2006. The coalition's increasing reliance on air power to compensate for the lack of troop numbers on the ground was the major cause of the increase in "collateral damage", said a PDA spokesman.
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Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Self Improvement Trumps Jail Time For Drug Trafficker
The Crown Has Lost An Appeal Of An 18-Month Conditional Sentence Given To A Cocaine Dealer.
The appeal was launched on the grounds that the sentencing judge placed "undue weight" on the man's aboriginal background.
Martin Patrick Charlie, of Cloverdale, had pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking after an RCMP officer caught him with 30 packages of cocaine and 16 packages of heroin worth about $1,200.
On the day he was arrested, Charlie was already serving nine-months' house arrest in respect to three drug charges arising out of another dial-a-dope operation he was involved in.
The Crown had argued for an actual prison term of 18 months to two years less a day, given this was his second dial-a-dope operation. The fact that his latest crime occurred while serving a sentence should have been seen as an aggravating factor, the Crown maintained.
But the sentencing judge, Peder Gulbransen, saw promise in Charlie's rehabilitation and decided to give him a break.
"Judges sometimes have to take chances," he said.
Justice David Frankel noted, in his reasons for decision, that more than two years have passed since Charlie was involved in the drug trade. "Why this case has taken this long to reach this point is not entirely clear," Frankel noted.
"However, it is a fact that during this period Mr. Charlie has been subject to stringent conditions, and is a much different person today than he was in October, 2005."
"It would be unjust," Frankel added, "and counterproductive not only to Mr. Charlie's interests, but those of society at large, to interfere with his successful efforts at rehabilitation by sentencing him to a period of incarceration at this time."
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The appeal was launched on the grounds that the sentencing judge placed "undue weight" on the man's aboriginal background.
Martin Patrick Charlie, of Cloverdale, had pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking after an RCMP officer caught him with 30 packages of cocaine and 16 packages of heroin worth about $1,200.
On the day he was arrested, Charlie was already serving nine-months' house arrest in respect to three drug charges arising out of another dial-a-dope operation he was involved in.
The Crown had argued for an actual prison term of 18 months to two years less a day, given this was his second dial-a-dope operation. The fact that his latest crime occurred while serving a sentence should have been seen as an aggravating factor, the Crown maintained.
But the sentencing judge, Peder Gulbransen, saw promise in Charlie's rehabilitation and decided to give him a break.
"Judges sometimes have to take chances," he said.
Justice David Frankel noted, in his reasons for decision, that more than two years have passed since Charlie was involved in the drug trade. "Why this case has taken this long to reach this point is not entirely clear," Frankel noted.
"However, it is a fact that during this period Mr. Charlie has been subject to stringent conditions, and is a much different person today than he was in October, 2005."
"It would be unjust," Frankel added, "and counterproductive not only to Mr. Charlie's interests, but those of society at large, to interfere with his successful efforts at rehabilitation by sentencing him to a period of incarceration at this time."
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Tuesday, January 15, 2008
MAN ARRESTED IN RAID SAYS POT FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES
A Meaford man who was busted last week says he's not a drug trafficker, but was growing and using pot for medicinal purposes - with his doctor's knowledge but without a Health Canada licence.
Grey County OPP have charged both James Kerr, 35, and his partner, Celena Negovetich, 30, with production of marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking on Jan. 4.
Kerr said after the bust his family doctor finally signed the medical use of marijuana form, which he'd had for a year.
Kerr said he mailed the licence application in this week.
Now it's up to Health Canada to decide whether to grant Kerr a licence to legally grow and possess pot for medical purposes.
Kerr, who contacted Osprey Media after his name appeared in story this week about a drug raid at his home, said he was diagnosed in September, 2005, with multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system with no cure. It causes him to suffer attacks of prolonged muscle spasms and headaches which are relieved with marijuana, which Kerr calls medicine. Kerr said his health is already worse without pot.
"My left hand is curled up, weak and almost useless. My left leg feels like it weighs 200 pounds and is weak. I'm noticeably limping now and its only been one week without medicine."
He has constant headaches and if tries to use his curled hand, the pain is "excruciating," he said.
After the bust, Kerr said police called the Children's Aid Society. Kerr's kids were placed with their mother in Collingwood while the CAS investigates.
Now Kerr is anxious to get his kids back.
Kerr said he wishes police had better understood what they were dealing with before they pounded on his front door and announced they had a search warrant.
He opened the door and was immediately pushed against a wall and handcuffed, he said. His kids weren't home when police arrived.
He told the officers he suffers from MS and grows and uses marijuana but was told to "shut up." Kerr said he told police where to find the marijuana and once they did, they arrested him.
He said he was denied his request for his hat and coat on the way out the door and that police broke a shelf and hinges to a cabinet where he told them he stored the marijuana.
Staff Sgt. Rick Sinnamon said it's best during drug raids to handcuff people for police and the resident's safety.
The police report on the raid said Kerr was co-operative, Sinnamon added. He wouldn't comment on Kerr's complaints because the matter is before the court, but noted there is a police complaints process. He said police obtained a search warrant from a justice of the peace and the search was lawful.
"Anybody that knows me knows that I have multiple sclerosis," Kerr said. "And the way they came in here, like with seven officers and they thought they had a huge operation and everything . . ."
Said Sinnamon: "I'm quite positive there's people out there for legitimate reasons in their mind, that they're suffering from some sort of medical-type problem that they're using some sort of drug to allow them some ability to function.
"And whether that's right or wrong, you and I can't decide that. That's up to the government. The law would have to be changed," he said. "There isn't anything right now that's allowing us to overlook that."
It is legal to use pot for medical relief, with Health Canada's approval.
There were 2,261 people with a licences to use marijuana and 1,581 to grow pot as of October, Health Canada's website says.
Kerr has been a stay-home dad since his illness prevented him from working in the lumber industry, he said. He lives with his partner in a rented apartment in a well-kept house in Meaford.
Kerr has explained his pot use to his kids, aged 10 and 11. He said he only uses it in his bedroom, which he kept locked, from a supply kept in a locked cabinet. He smokes it outside when his kids are at his home, he said.
Kerr said he won custody of the children in family court, where his medical use of marijuana and intention to obtain a licence to do so were disclosed.
He said his application for a licence to use and grow marijuana sat in his doctor's office for a year awaiting the doctor's signature. Kerr said his doctor was busy and had to do research before signing off.
Kerr said both that doctor and his neurologist advised him privately to smoke pot because it relieved his symptoms.
His family doctor suggested he use four grams per day, Kerr said. The doctor could not be reached for comment Friday.
Marijuana users say privately that doctors are reluctant to prescribe marijuana because it sticks their neck out with police and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. It's just easier to get pot and use it under the radar of police, they say.
Police said in a news release Wednesday that they seized packaged marijuana with an estimated street value of $6,820 and $1,000 worth of marijuana plants.
Kerr says that's an overestimate.
He said he packaged the marijuana in one-ounce ( 28-gram ) packages to ensure he uses no more or less than his doctor suggested. At four grams per day, each package was a one-week supply. Individual packaging guarded against potential loss of his supply to rot.
Under the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations, if five grams daily use is approved, that would equate to 25 marijuana plants and storage of 1.125 kilograms of marijuana, a fact sheet says.
"Anybody that knows me knows that I have multiple sclerosis. And the way they came in here, like with seven officers and they thought they had a huge operation and everything . . ."
Grey County OPP have charged both James Kerr, 35, and his partner, Celena Negovetich, 30, with production of marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking on Jan. 4.
Kerr said after the bust his family doctor finally signed the medical use of marijuana form, which he'd had for a year.
Kerr said he mailed the licence application in this week.
Now it's up to Health Canada to decide whether to grant Kerr a licence to legally grow and possess pot for medical purposes.
Kerr, who contacted Osprey Media after his name appeared in story this week about a drug raid at his home, said he was diagnosed in September, 2005, with multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system with no cure. It causes him to suffer attacks of prolonged muscle spasms and headaches which are relieved with marijuana, which Kerr calls medicine. Kerr said his health is already worse without pot.
"My left hand is curled up, weak and almost useless. My left leg feels like it weighs 200 pounds and is weak. I'm noticeably limping now and its only been one week without medicine."
He has constant headaches and if tries to use his curled hand, the pain is "excruciating," he said.
After the bust, Kerr said police called the Children's Aid Society. Kerr's kids were placed with their mother in Collingwood while the CAS investigates.
Now Kerr is anxious to get his kids back.
Kerr said he wishes police had better understood what they were dealing with before they pounded on his front door and announced they had a search warrant.
He opened the door and was immediately pushed against a wall and handcuffed, he said. His kids weren't home when police arrived.
He told the officers he suffers from MS and grows and uses marijuana but was told to "shut up." Kerr said he told police where to find the marijuana and once they did, they arrested him.
He said he was denied his request for his hat and coat on the way out the door and that police broke a shelf and hinges to a cabinet where he told them he stored the marijuana.
Staff Sgt. Rick Sinnamon said it's best during drug raids to handcuff people for police and the resident's safety.
The police report on the raid said Kerr was co-operative, Sinnamon added. He wouldn't comment on Kerr's complaints because the matter is before the court, but noted there is a police complaints process. He said police obtained a search warrant from a justice of the peace and the search was lawful.
"Anybody that knows me knows that I have multiple sclerosis," Kerr said. "And the way they came in here, like with seven officers and they thought they had a huge operation and everything . . ."
Said Sinnamon: "I'm quite positive there's people out there for legitimate reasons in their mind, that they're suffering from some sort of medical-type problem that they're using some sort of drug to allow them some ability to function.
"And whether that's right or wrong, you and I can't decide that. That's up to the government. The law would have to be changed," he said. "There isn't anything right now that's allowing us to overlook that."
It is legal to use pot for medical relief, with Health Canada's approval.
There were 2,261 people with a licences to use marijuana and 1,581 to grow pot as of October, Health Canada's website says.
Kerr has been a stay-home dad since his illness prevented him from working in the lumber industry, he said. He lives with his partner in a rented apartment in a well-kept house in Meaford.
Kerr has explained his pot use to his kids, aged 10 and 11. He said he only uses it in his bedroom, which he kept locked, from a supply kept in a locked cabinet. He smokes it outside when his kids are at his home, he said.
Kerr said he won custody of the children in family court, where his medical use of marijuana and intention to obtain a licence to do so were disclosed.
He said his application for a licence to use and grow marijuana sat in his doctor's office for a year awaiting the doctor's signature. Kerr said his doctor was busy and had to do research before signing off.
Kerr said both that doctor and his neurologist advised him privately to smoke pot because it relieved his symptoms.
His family doctor suggested he use four grams per day, Kerr said. The doctor could not be reached for comment Friday.
Marijuana users say privately that doctors are reluctant to prescribe marijuana because it sticks their neck out with police and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. It's just easier to get pot and use it under the radar of police, they say.
Police said in a news release Wednesday that they seized packaged marijuana with an estimated street value of $6,820 and $1,000 worth of marijuana plants.
Kerr says that's an overestimate.
He said he packaged the marijuana in one-ounce ( 28-gram ) packages to ensure he uses no more or less than his doctor suggested. At four grams per day, each package was a one-week supply. Individual packaging guarded against potential loss of his supply to rot.
Under the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations, if five grams daily use is approved, that would equate to 25 marijuana plants and storage of 1.125 kilograms of marijuana, a fact sheet says.
"Anybody that knows me knows that I have multiple sclerosis. And the way they came in here, like with seven officers and they thought they had a huge operation and everything . . ."
Monday, January 14, 2008
CONDO HUFF: DON'T FEAR THE REEFER
When Erin Maloughney came back from holidays - she was in Rhode Island over Christmas visiting her new niece, a cute little kid - she found a letter in the mail.
The letter, sent by lawyers representing the condo corporation that runs her building, is a modern bit of correspondence, unimaginable a few years ago. A few years ago the condo corporation would not have written any letters. They'd have called the cops.
Erin is a medical user of marijuana.
She lives in a co-op downtown, a handsome and secure building not far from the subway, close to everything she needs. Her building has a pool, a sauna, a weight room, a library; she uses these often.
She is also licensed to grow a little dope at home, with the permission of the government. I think that makes the condo corporation nervous.
A bit of background:
Erin broke her back in a car accident when she was in high school. She recovered, painfully and partially, over several years.
And then, when she was grown up and working, she got clipped by a car while riding her bike downtown - the driver's fault - and she broke her back again.
The insurance settlement helped her buy the two-level, one-bedroom, big-city apartment where she lives. She no longer works. She is in constant pain.
She is growing 18 marijuana plants - that's all she needs - in what used to be the closet of her bedroom. The closet reno was done by a contractor friend; he did a nice job in a tight space.
But the condo corporation has expressed concerns about the safety of the wiring, and the possibility of mould. Erin said, "Those are valid issues in a multi-unit dwelling." She showed me around the other day.
Her closet is nothing like the drug-trade grow-ops you see on the news. It is not damp, nor a hothouse, nor does she use mass amounts of electricity, nor does she grow dope by the bushel, nor is there any danger from outsiders. Her building has a politely vigilant concierge on duty all the time.
Erin's needs are modest. She takes one hit every hour on the hour, using a black ceramic bong; when that moment came - you could tell it was coming on, because her eyes had gradually narrowed and her pain now seemed to radiate from every pore - she went outside on her balcony, fired up the bong with a barbecue lighter and inhaled once.
Legally, mind you.
She said that if she did not smoke, her pain would clock in at seven out of 10 if, on the pain chart, 10 is blow-your-brains-out misery. A single hit, once an hour, keeps her more or less at level three.
Beats opiates any day.
She said, "A lot of people think my garden grounds me. I sing to my plants. I worry about them. I spray them. It gives me something to do." That's important, when you can't walk very far. She said, "I have a green thumb. I'm good at what I do." But the letter from the condo corporation is stern.
She isn't sure what she will do.
You want a clue?
On her coffee table stands a handsome 18-inch figurine of Muhammad Ali, dressed in white trunks and wearing boxing gloves, circa the second Liston fight is my guess. Should anyone, butterfly or bee, float past the champ, a motion sensor kicks in and there is that voice: "I am the greatest."
If Erin were not also a pretty good fighter, she would not be walking today.
Stay tuned.
The letter, sent by lawyers representing the condo corporation that runs her building, is a modern bit of correspondence, unimaginable a few years ago. A few years ago the condo corporation would not have written any letters. They'd have called the cops.
Erin is a medical user of marijuana.
She lives in a co-op downtown, a handsome and secure building not far from the subway, close to everything she needs. Her building has a pool, a sauna, a weight room, a library; she uses these often.
She is also licensed to grow a little dope at home, with the permission of the government. I think that makes the condo corporation nervous.
A bit of background:
Erin broke her back in a car accident when she was in high school. She recovered, painfully and partially, over several years.
And then, when she was grown up and working, she got clipped by a car while riding her bike downtown - the driver's fault - and she broke her back again.
The insurance settlement helped her buy the two-level, one-bedroom, big-city apartment where she lives. She no longer works. She is in constant pain.
She is growing 18 marijuana plants - that's all she needs - in what used to be the closet of her bedroom. The closet reno was done by a contractor friend; he did a nice job in a tight space.
But the condo corporation has expressed concerns about the safety of the wiring, and the possibility of mould. Erin said, "Those are valid issues in a multi-unit dwelling." She showed me around the other day.
Her closet is nothing like the drug-trade grow-ops you see on the news. It is not damp, nor a hothouse, nor does she use mass amounts of electricity, nor does she grow dope by the bushel, nor is there any danger from outsiders. Her building has a politely vigilant concierge on duty all the time.
Erin's needs are modest. She takes one hit every hour on the hour, using a black ceramic bong; when that moment came - you could tell it was coming on, because her eyes had gradually narrowed and her pain now seemed to radiate from every pore - she went outside on her balcony, fired up the bong with a barbecue lighter and inhaled once.
Legally, mind you.
She said that if she did not smoke, her pain would clock in at seven out of 10 if, on the pain chart, 10 is blow-your-brains-out misery. A single hit, once an hour, keeps her more or less at level three.
Beats opiates any day.
She said, "A lot of people think my garden grounds me. I sing to my plants. I worry about them. I spray them. It gives me something to do." That's important, when you can't walk very far. She said, "I have a green thumb. I'm good at what I do." But the letter from the condo corporation is stern.
She isn't sure what she will do.
You want a clue?
On her coffee table stands a handsome 18-inch figurine of Muhammad Ali, dressed in white trunks and wearing boxing gloves, circa the second Liston fight is my guess. Should anyone, butterfly or bee, float past the champ, a motion sensor kicks in and there is that voice: "I am the greatest."
If Erin were not also a pretty good fighter, she would not be walking today.
Stay tuned.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
'BREAKING BAD' SHINES IN A DIM TV SEASON
In a TV world that has gone without writers for nearly three months and is drowning in a tsunami of reality programming, there are precious few rays of sunshine these days.
But, occasionally, something will pop up to remind us of just how good television can be when smart writers come up with an intriguing concept and execute it well. A case in point is "Breaking Bad," an edgy, challenging new series that debuts this Sunday at 10 on AMC.
"Breaking Bad" - it's a Southern expression for "raising hell" - is a Coen brothers-esque take on the life of one Walt White, a high school science teacher living a dull life in suburbia. Then, one day, he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. With just a few months to live, Walt White "breaks bad," becoming a manufacturer of crystal meth to raise some fast money for his family and to give himself a few thrills before he goes.
Show creator Vince Gilligan - best-known for his work on "The X-Files," including some landmark episodes as "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" - says his intent from the beginning was to "take Mr. Chips and turn him into Scarface" ( the memorable Al Pacino character from the 1983 film ) "and then he drops dead of cancer."
More seriously, Gilligan says that "this has always been a story of metamorphosis and transformation. This is a guy who is in the process of reinventing himself and, not to give too much away, Walt really is not going to just dip a toe into this new world, he's actually doing to do a big cannonball right off the edge of the pool."
If "Breaking Bad" sounds a bit like "Weeds," the Showtime series about a suburban soccer mom who becomes a dope dealer, Gilligan hastens to point out that he came up with the idea before "Weeds" got on the air. In fact, he says, the first time he ever heard of "Weeds" was when he was trying to sell "Breaking Bad" to FX.
"I was so fortunate that I didn't know about 'Weeds' in advance because I might have said, 'Well, this is too much like "Weeds." ' I would have shut the whole thing down right then and there," Gilligan says.
"Now that I know about 'Weeds,' I've tried very hard to make our show even more different."
"Breaking Bad" is a good deal darker and more of a pure drama than "Weeds," although the show gets funnier as it goes along. For one thing, outside of the Drug Enforcement Administration, people tend to view marijuana as a rather benign drug. Crystal meth? That's nasty stuff and, as a plot point, it may explain why HBO, TNT and FX all passed on the series before AMC picked it up.
Even Gilligan acknowledges it will be hard for some people to relate.
Walt White, he says, "has colored inside the lines, played by the rules, his entire life. He's never so much as jaywalked and, suddenly, he's doing this despicable thing.
"And we don't shy away from that. Crystal meth is a much different drug than marijuana, and we don't defend his choice in the show. It's going to become clearer that he's made some very bad choices as the series progresses."
That, as you might expect, puts a fair amount of pressure on the actor playing Walt White to humanize someone who is doing a very bad thing. And Bryan Cranston - best-known as Hal, the father on "Malcolm In the Middle" - more than rises to the challenge, giving a beautifully crafted and shaded performance that lets you into White's soul.
Cranston wasn't really looking for a new series after "Malcolm" ( he says most of the sitcoms he was offered were pretty bad ). But, he says, the script for "Breaking Bad" was "just so compelling. I related to Walt White, I understood him, I knew who this guy was. I know people like him, anybody who lives with regret. There is a massive number of people who have that feeling of 'I should have, I could have, I wish I had' taken opportunities that were presented to me and, for some reason, didn't at the time.
"That's ultimately tragic and sympathetic. I thought if we could pull this off, we could ask the audience to at least understand the dilemma Walt White is going through - if not accept or condone his actions."
Thanks to Gilligan's writing and the work of Cranston and a fine supporting cast headed by Anna Gunn ( "Deadwood" ) as his wife and Aaron Paul ( "Big Love" ) as a former student who teaches White the meth trade, "Breaking Bad" succeeds.
It is a kind of modern morality play, engaging ( even if White's actions are sometimes appalling ) and provocative in the themes it explores.
Certainly, like the best television, it makes you think. About facing your own mortality, the choices people make in life and whether - for better or for worse - the approach of your own demise sets you free in very fundamental ways.
But, occasionally, something will pop up to remind us of just how good television can be when smart writers come up with an intriguing concept and execute it well. A case in point is "Breaking Bad," an edgy, challenging new series that debuts this Sunday at 10 on AMC.
"Breaking Bad" - it's a Southern expression for "raising hell" - is a Coen brothers-esque take on the life of one Walt White, a high school science teacher living a dull life in suburbia. Then, one day, he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. With just a few months to live, Walt White "breaks bad," becoming a manufacturer of crystal meth to raise some fast money for his family and to give himself a few thrills before he goes.
Show creator Vince Gilligan - best-known for his work on "The X-Files," including some landmark episodes as "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" - says his intent from the beginning was to "take Mr. Chips and turn him into Scarface" ( the memorable Al Pacino character from the 1983 film ) "and then he drops dead of cancer."
More seriously, Gilligan says that "this has always been a story of metamorphosis and transformation. This is a guy who is in the process of reinventing himself and, not to give too much away, Walt really is not going to just dip a toe into this new world, he's actually doing to do a big cannonball right off the edge of the pool."
If "Breaking Bad" sounds a bit like "Weeds," the Showtime series about a suburban soccer mom who becomes a dope dealer, Gilligan hastens to point out that he came up with the idea before "Weeds" got on the air. In fact, he says, the first time he ever heard of "Weeds" was when he was trying to sell "Breaking Bad" to FX.
"I was so fortunate that I didn't know about 'Weeds' in advance because I might have said, 'Well, this is too much like "Weeds." ' I would have shut the whole thing down right then and there," Gilligan says.
"Now that I know about 'Weeds,' I've tried very hard to make our show even more different."
"Breaking Bad" is a good deal darker and more of a pure drama than "Weeds," although the show gets funnier as it goes along. For one thing, outside of the Drug Enforcement Administration, people tend to view marijuana as a rather benign drug. Crystal meth? That's nasty stuff and, as a plot point, it may explain why HBO, TNT and FX all passed on the series before AMC picked it up.
Even Gilligan acknowledges it will be hard for some people to relate.
Walt White, he says, "has colored inside the lines, played by the rules, his entire life. He's never so much as jaywalked and, suddenly, he's doing this despicable thing.
"And we don't shy away from that. Crystal meth is a much different drug than marijuana, and we don't defend his choice in the show. It's going to become clearer that he's made some very bad choices as the series progresses."
That, as you might expect, puts a fair amount of pressure on the actor playing Walt White to humanize someone who is doing a very bad thing. And Bryan Cranston - best-known as Hal, the father on "Malcolm In the Middle" - more than rises to the challenge, giving a beautifully crafted and shaded performance that lets you into White's soul.
Cranston wasn't really looking for a new series after "Malcolm" ( he says most of the sitcoms he was offered were pretty bad ). But, he says, the script for "Breaking Bad" was "just so compelling. I related to Walt White, I understood him, I knew who this guy was. I know people like him, anybody who lives with regret. There is a massive number of people who have that feeling of 'I should have, I could have, I wish I had' taken opportunities that were presented to me and, for some reason, didn't at the time.
"That's ultimately tragic and sympathetic. I thought if we could pull this off, we could ask the audience to at least understand the dilemma Walt White is going through - if not accept or condone his actions."
Thanks to Gilligan's writing and the work of Cranston and a fine supporting cast headed by Anna Gunn ( "Deadwood" ) as his wife and Aaron Paul ( "Big Love" ) as a former student who teaches White the meth trade, "Breaking Bad" succeeds.
It is a kind of modern morality play, engaging ( even if White's actions are sometimes appalling ) and provocative in the themes it explores.
Certainly, like the best television, it makes you think. About facing your own mortality, the choices people make in life and whether - for better or for worse - the approach of your own demise sets you free in very fundamental ways.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
SUSPENSION'S OUT, THERAPY'S IN
Students Caught Using Drugs or Alcohol Are Sent for Three Days Of Addiction Counselling
Not long ago students caught using drugs in school got a sound thrashing. More recently they were suspended. Now they receive counselling.
Since last September, students have been required to attend three half-day sessions at Richmond Addiction Services if they are found using or possessing drugs or alcohol.
So far, 54 first-time offenders, with an average age of 15, have attended the Constructive Alternative to Teen Suspension program.
Thirty-six were boys and 18 were girls, according to Rick Dubras, youth and family program manager for RAS.
"It's marijuana and alcohol that they're getting caught for, ( although ) there's been some admission of ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and crack use," Dubras added.
So far, the program appears to be a success.
"Thus far, we're pleased with the service and pleased that we're able to work with the community to, hopefully, put together something beneficial," said Rob Inrig, school district administrator of inter-agency relations.
The program is modeled after a similar one created by Terry Bulych in West Vancouver.
"The statistics are that they have reduced re-offenders in West Van and North Van," said Dubras, who is confident the same will happen here.
The three days equip students with information about drugs and alcohol, and the consequences of using them, as well as strategies to make good decisions and say no.
"Rather than them automatically saying, 'You're out of school and come back three days later, or five days or whatever,' they're really doing some proactive work with them, helping them make better choices, different choices and understand the implications of things," Inrig said.
Dubras said the program has made a difference for participants.
"When we have had follow up sessions we've had young people say that it was important that they could go to a place where they could be open and honest. We've had people stop using, we've had people stop using nicotine and we've had people reduce their use," Dubras said.
The students learn about the continuum of addiction from no use, to experimental and recreational use, to using for effect, to habitual use and eventual dependence.
"Addiction is defined with the three c's: lack of control, using despite negative consequences and a compulsion to use," Dubras said.
"We want them to have a better understanding and ways to cope and make better decisions and choices around drug and alcohol use."
The take-home message from the CATS program is that young people have the right to refuse.
"It highlights the importance that they have free will and that they have choice. If they are addicted they don't have a lot of choice," Dubras said.
School trustee Sandra Bourque said the school district is always looking for more effective ways to deal with destructive behaviour.
"Our end desire is not punishment, but a change in behaviour," Bourque said. "This kind of response to kids who are involved in drugs is bound to be more successful."
Suspension is useful in some situations, Bourque said, such as when safety is an issue or the incident is very serious. "You're never going to totally eliminate suspension," Bourque said.
The CATS program is mandatory and open during school hours every day of the school year.
Students begin the program immediately, usually the day following a school offense, once parents are informed. Following the initial three sessions, individuals are seen for up to three individual counselling sessions.
"We want to be accessible to them after the program. The biggest thing is we're trying to create relationship," Dubras said.
Not long ago students caught using drugs in school got a sound thrashing. More recently they were suspended. Now they receive counselling.
Since last September, students have been required to attend three half-day sessions at Richmond Addiction Services if they are found using or possessing drugs or alcohol.
So far, 54 first-time offenders, with an average age of 15, have attended the Constructive Alternative to Teen Suspension program.
Thirty-six were boys and 18 were girls, according to Rick Dubras, youth and family program manager for RAS.
"It's marijuana and alcohol that they're getting caught for, ( although ) there's been some admission of ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and crack use," Dubras added.
So far, the program appears to be a success.
"Thus far, we're pleased with the service and pleased that we're able to work with the community to, hopefully, put together something beneficial," said Rob Inrig, school district administrator of inter-agency relations.
The program is modeled after a similar one created by Terry Bulych in West Vancouver.
"The statistics are that they have reduced re-offenders in West Van and North Van," said Dubras, who is confident the same will happen here.
The three days equip students with information about drugs and alcohol, and the consequences of using them, as well as strategies to make good decisions and say no.
"Rather than them automatically saying, 'You're out of school and come back three days later, or five days or whatever,' they're really doing some proactive work with them, helping them make better choices, different choices and understand the implications of things," Inrig said.
Dubras said the program has made a difference for participants.
"When we have had follow up sessions we've had young people say that it was important that they could go to a place where they could be open and honest. We've had people stop using, we've had people stop using nicotine and we've had people reduce their use," Dubras said.
The students learn about the continuum of addiction from no use, to experimental and recreational use, to using for effect, to habitual use and eventual dependence.
"Addiction is defined with the three c's: lack of control, using despite negative consequences and a compulsion to use," Dubras said.
"We want them to have a better understanding and ways to cope and make better decisions and choices around drug and alcohol use."
The take-home message from the CATS program is that young people have the right to refuse.
"It highlights the importance that they have free will and that they have choice. If they are addicted they don't have a lot of choice," Dubras said.
School trustee Sandra Bourque said the school district is always looking for more effective ways to deal with destructive behaviour.
"Our end desire is not punishment, but a change in behaviour," Bourque said. "This kind of response to kids who are involved in drugs is bound to be more successful."
Suspension is useful in some situations, Bourque said, such as when safety is an issue or the incident is very serious. "You're never going to totally eliminate suspension," Bourque said.
The CATS program is mandatory and open during school hours every day of the school year.
Students begin the program immediately, usually the day following a school offense, once parents are informed. Following the initial three sessions, individuals are seen for up to three individual counselling sessions.
"We want to be accessible to them after the program. The biggest thing is we're trying to create relationship," Dubras said.
Friday, January 11, 2008
GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE TO GROW UP
On the one hand, Pembroke students should be hailed for their openness and honesty in talking about their alcohol and drug use.
On the other hand, a study by the Southeast Center for Healthy Communities should raise an alarm for parents and educators that they need to drive home the message that does not appear to be taking hold that substance abuse is a dangerous path to take at such a young age.
A study by the health consortium found that nearly half of Pembroke High School students - 48.7 percent - said they had drunk alcohol at some point in their lives. About one-quarter of students said they had smoked marijuana.
Pembroke's figures are slightly above the national average for both alcohol and marijuana use and above the state's average for drinking but slightly below for smoking marijuana.
But far more troubling was the admission by 30 percent of high school students who said they drove a car while under the influence in the 30 days prior to the survey.
"I've worked in other high schools, and the most painful experience a principal can go through is the death of a student, and when it is related to drugs or alcohol, it's just tragic," Pembroke High principal Ruth Lynch said following the presentation to the school committee Thursday night.
Tragic indeed. Each year more that 10,000 young people in the United States are killed and 40,000 injured in alcohol-related automobile accidents.
The rate of fatal crashes among alcohol-involved drivers between 16 and 20 years old is more than twice that for alcohol-involved drivers 21 and older, according to a federal study.
Pembroke is clearly not an island but more of a microcosm of today's youth in society. But anyone concerned about the future of today's teens needs to take a hard look at the figures.
According to the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychology, people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence at some time in their lives compared with those who have their first drink at age 20 or older.
Alcohol use interacts with conditions such as depression and stress to contribute to suicide, the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25.
Adolescence is a time to allow your body to grow and develop, not a time to experiment with harmful substances. Pembroke students showed they are willing to talk honestly about their use of drugs and alcohol.
Perhaps that is an indication they are also willing to listen.
On the other hand, a study by the Southeast Center for Healthy Communities should raise an alarm for parents and educators that they need to drive home the message that does not appear to be taking hold that substance abuse is a dangerous path to take at such a young age.
A study by the health consortium found that nearly half of Pembroke High School students - 48.7 percent - said they had drunk alcohol at some point in their lives. About one-quarter of students said they had smoked marijuana.
Pembroke's figures are slightly above the national average for both alcohol and marijuana use and above the state's average for drinking but slightly below for smoking marijuana.
But far more troubling was the admission by 30 percent of high school students who said they drove a car while under the influence in the 30 days prior to the survey.
"I've worked in other high schools, and the most painful experience a principal can go through is the death of a student, and when it is related to drugs or alcohol, it's just tragic," Pembroke High principal Ruth Lynch said following the presentation to the school committee Thursday night.
Tragic indeed. Each year more that 10,000 young people in the United States are killed and 40,000 injured in alcohol-related automobile accidents.
The rate of fatal crashes among alcohol-involved drivers between 16 and 20 years old is more than twice that for alcohol-involved drivers 21 and older, according to a federal study.
Pembroke is clearly not an island but more of a microcosm of today's youth in society. But anyone concerned about the future of today's teens needs to take a hard look at the figures.
According to the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychology, people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence at some time in their lives compared with those who have their first drink at age 20 or older.
Alcohol use interacts with conditions such as depression and stress to contribute to suicide, the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25.
Adolescence is a time to allow your body to grow and develop, not a time to experiment with harmful substances. Pembroke students showed they are willing to talk honestly about their use of drugs and alcohol.
Perhaps that is an indication they are also willing to listen.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
SMUGGLERS SEE HAITI AS NEW GATEWAY FOR DRUGS
MALPASSE, Haiti - Three beefy men wearing wraparound sunglasses and gold chains leaned against their SUV at this remote border crossing with the Dominican Republic. As one of them muttered into a walkie-talkie, four Haitian policemen pulled up looking like they meant business.
The SUV's back hatch was opened. The cops eyeballed its load of opaque plastic-wrapped bundles. One officer picked up a package the size of a bread loaf, appraising its weight with his forearm.
Then the police and the bejeweled trio knocked fists in solidarity, traded vehicles and drove off toward the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. And thus ended the drug bust that wasn't.
Pandemic police corruption in Haiti is just one reason drug-running through Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, has more than doubled over the past two years. It accounts for more than 10 percent of illegal substances reaching the United States and an even larger share of the volume destined for Europe, U.S. and international agents say.
With counter-narcotics operations choking off traditional routes from Colombia and Mexico, smugglers are finding unfettered paths in lawless Haiti, where poverty, isolation and inept law enforcement combine to provide traffickers a new path of least resistance.
"Why are they bringing it here? Because this is the weakest point in the region," said Fred Blaise, a Haitian-born Florida police officer serving in Haiti with the United Nations Stabilization Mission.
"Haiti doesn't have helicopters. It doesn't have planes. It doesn't have radar to even know what's coming and going."
A fledgling coast guard has been restored after a four-year hiatus that followed the flight into exile of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the chaos that ensued. But the force has few officers and no speedboats. The 1,500-mile coastline is wide open to smugglers' fast boats and airdrops.
"It takes only eight hours for speedboats coming from Colombia and Venezuela to get to Jacmel," Haiti's police commissioner, Mario Andresol, said of the southern port town of dilapidated gingerbread houses. "Once the drugs get to Haiti, they can be loaded onto vehicles and sent to Port-au-Prince, then north for the trip to the United States."
Haiti has no army or border guard to patrol the 225-mile frontier with the Dominican Republic. At best, a couple of police officers are sometimes on hand at the four legal crossings.
From Malpasse, contraband can be dispatched across the enormous saltwater Lake Azuei in fishermen's crude, black-sailed sloops, in all-terrain vehicles that speed over denuded mountainsides into gang-ruled central and northern cities, or loaded into dump trucks at a roadside quarry that is abandoned but for the transactions that traffickers make little attempt to hide.
Much of Colombia's cocaine now comes to the southern coast of Hispaniola via Venezuela. Last year, then-U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield said the volume flowing through Venezuela had quintupled since 2001 to as much as 250 tons a year. That's a quarter to half of Colombia's production.
The Joint Interagency Task Force of the U.S. military's Southern Command tracked 81 unregistered flights from Colombia or Venezuela to this island in the first nine months of 2007. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reports that more vigorous surveillance of the Colombian coastline has compelled highly adaptive smugglers to use new routes.
"There is always the balloon effect," said Vito S. Guarino, assistant special agent in charge of the DEA's Caribbean Division. "Wherever you put pressure, they go somewhere else." He estimates that drug transshipment through the Caribbean is up as much as 30 percent.
Haitian or Dominican authorities are often tipped off about illegal flights and voyages that have been spotted by the U.S. or other nations, but local law enforcement officials are rarely in a position to intercept them.
Haitian farmers and fishermen in coastal villages can be induced with a few dollars to store drugs, guard makeshift warehouses or cart the contraband to the next stop on the route, spawning local economies that are becoming increasingly dependent on the drug trade, the police commissioner said.
Narco-trafficking enterprises already are entrenched in central Haiti, having cropped up along the one passable road from the capital to the northern coast.
"We are looking for bandits and gangsters, but we are also finding police and congressmen among them," said Andresol, who concedes that he can't trust most of the 5,000 men on his force.
Andresol, an anti-corruption crusader who has made it his mission to restore a conscience to Haitian law enforcement, said the November arrest of a lawmaker from the central plains town of Maissade, Joseph Willot, deflated his sense that interdictions this year had put a dent in the island's drug trade.
Venezuela's status as a favored launch pad for illegal flights taking Colombian dope toward its final market is the direct result of extensive corruption in the armed forces of President Hugo Chavez, foreign counter-narcotics officials say.
The SUV's back hatch was opened. The cops eyeballed its load of opaque plastic-wrapped bundles. One officer picked up a package the size of a bread loaf, appraising its weight with his forearm.
Then the police and the bejeweled trio knocked fists in solidarity, traded vehicles and drove off toward the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. And thus ended the drug bust that wasn't.
Pandemic police corruption in Haiti is just one reason drug-running through Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, has more than doubled over the past two years. It accounts for more than 10 percent of illegal substances reaching the United States and an even larger share of the volume destined for Europe, U.S. and international agents say.
With counter-narcotics operations choking off traditional routes from Colombia and Mexico, smugglers are finding unfettered paths in lawless Haiti, where poverty, isolation and inept law enforcement combine to provide traffickers a new path of least resistance.
"Why are they bringing it here? Because this is the weakest point in the region," said Fred Blaise, a Haitian-born Florida police officer serving in Haiti with the United Nations Stabilization Mission.
"Haiti doesn't have helicopters. It doesn't have planes. It doesn't have radar to even know what's coming and going."
A fledgling coast guard has been restored after a four-year hiatus that followed the flight into exile of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the chaos that ensued. But the force has few officers and no speedboats. The 1,500-mile coastline is wide open to smugglers' fast boats and airdrops.
"It takes only eight hours for speedboats coming from Colombia and Venezuela to get to Jacmel," Haiti's police commissioner, Mario Andresol, said of the southern port town of dilapidated gingerbread houses. "Once the drugs get to Haiti, they can be loaded onto vehicles and sent to Port-au-Prince, then north for the trip to the United States."
Haiti has no army or border guard to patrol the 225-mile frontier with the Dominican Republic. At best, a couple of police officers are sometimes on hand at the four legal crossings.
From Malpasse, contraband can be dispatched across the enormous saltwater Lake Azuei in fishermen's crude, black-sailed sloops, in all-terrain vehicles that speed over denuded mountainsides into gang-ruled central and northern cities, or loaded into dump trucks at a roadside quarry that is abandoned but for the transactions that traffickers make little attempt to hide.
Much of Colombia's cocaine now comes to the southern coast of Hispaniola via Venezuela. Last year, then-U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield said the volume flowing through Venezuela had quintupled since 2001 to as much as 250 tons a year. That's a quarter to half of Colombia's production.
The Joint Interagency Task Force of the U.S. military's Southern Command tracked 81 unregistered flights from Colombia or Venezuela to this island in the first nine months of 2007. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reports that more vigorous surveillance of the Colombian coastline has compelled highly adaptive smugglers to use new routes.
"There is always the balloon effect," said Vito S. Guarino, assistant special agent in charge of the DEA's Caribbean Division. "Wherever you put pressure, they go somewhere else." He estimates that drug transshipment through the Caribbean is up as much as 30 percent.
Haitian or Dominican authorities are often tipped off about illegal flights and voyages that have been spotted by the U.S. or other nations, but local law enforcement officials are rarely in a position to intercept them.
Haitian farmers and fishermen in coastal villages can be induced with a few dollars to store drugs, guard makeshift warehouses or cart the contraband to the next stop on the route, spawning local economies that are becoming increasingly dependent on the drug trade, the police commissioner said.
Narco-trafficking enterprises already are entrenched in central Haiti, having cropped up along the one passable road from the capital to the northern coast.
"We are looking for bandits and gangsters, but we are also finding police and congressmen among them," said Andresol, who concedes that he can't trust most of the 5,000 men on his force.
Andresol, an anti-corruption crusader who has made it his mission to restore a conscience to Haitian law enforcement, said the November arrest of a lawmaker from the central plains town of Maissade, Joseph Willot, deflated his sense that interdictions this year had put a dent in the island's drug trade.
Venezuela's status as a favored launch pad for illegal flights taking Colombian dope toward its final market is the direct result of extensive corruption in the armed forces of President Hugo Chavez, foreign counter-narcotics officials say.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
MORE CLEAN NEEDLES
The omnibus spending bill recently passed by Congress contained at least one piece of good news for Washington: A longtime restriction on using local funds for needle exchange programs was lifted. Removing the restriction was overdue because the district has one of the nation's highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection, and distributing clean needles to drug users could help slow the spread. Regrettably, a nationwide ban on using federal funds for needle exchange programs remains in place. Congress should follow its sensible action on D.C. and lift the national ban as well.
Although the federal prohibition has been in effect since 1998, it is estimated that more than 210 needle exchange programs are operating in 36 states, with about half the programs using local and state funds. While these programs are no panacea to the drug epidemic, some studies show that clean needles can at least reduce new cases of HIV. That's been true in Maryland, where injection drug use as the cause of newly diagnosed HIV cases has dropped from 60 percent in 1994 to below 30 percent as of June 2007, according to the state's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Despite such progress, conservative Republicans in Congress have continued to block federal funds for needle exchanges. And for the past decade, they have also prevented Washington from using its own tax money for such programs. After regaining control of Congress in the 2006 elections, Democrats pushed successfully for a course correction.
Local Washington officials could now follow Baltimore's example, where more than 3 million syringes have been distributed since 1994. The city's Health Department operates two vans that visit 18 sites around the city nearly every weekday as well as many evenings and weekends. Since July ( the current fiscal year ), the city's needle exchange program has served nearly 6,100 clients, and more than 163,860 syringes have been exchanged.
Despite progress in reducing needle sharing and other risky injection behaviors, the battle is far from over. Recent studies show that Maryland and Baltimore rank second in new AIDS cases among states and major cities, respectively. But people who inject drugs and may become infected with HIV or develop AIDS don't always stay in one place. More federal resources devoted to the struggle would be welcome.
Although the federal prohibition has been in effect since 1998, it is estimated that more than 210 needle exchange programs are operating in 36 states, with about half the programs using local and state funds. While these programs are no panacea to the drug epidemic, some studies show that clean needles can at least reduce new cases of HIV. That's been true in Maryland, where injection drug use as the cause of newly diagnosed HIV cases has dropped from 60 percent in 1994 to below 30 percent as of June 2007, according to the state's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Despite such progress, conservative Republicans in Congress have continued to block federal funds for needle exchanges. And for the past decade, they have also prevented Washington from using its own tax money for such programs. After regaining control of Congress in the 2006 elections, Democrats pushed successfully for a course correction.
Local Washington officials could now follow Baltimore's example, where more than 3 million syringes have been distributed since 1994. The city's Health Department operates two vans that visit 18 sites around the city nearly every weekday as well as many evenings and weekends. Since July ( the current fiscal year ), the city's needle exchange program has served nearly 6,100 clients, and more than 163,860 syringes have been exchanged.
Despite progress in reducing needle sharing and other risky injection behaviors, the battle is far from over. Recent studies show that Maryland and Baltimore rank second in new AIDS cases among states and major cities, respectively. But people who inject drugs and may become infected with HIV or develop AIDS don't always stay in one place. More federal resources devoted to the struggle would be welcome.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
DRINK AND DRUG TESTS ON POLICE 'A WASTE OF MONEY'
YORKSHIRE police forces are spending a six-figure sum each year testing officers for alcohol and drug abuse even though there is no evidence of a problem.
Not one of the region's 12,000 officers has failed any of the random tests, which were introduced early last summer, even though the alcohol limit is one-third of that for driving.
But the four forces are locked into the regime indefinitely, with costs expected to top UKP1,000 for each officer checked in one area, sparking criticism that it is a waste of money.
The Home Office is now facing a call to review the scheme to check it is delivering value for money. There is also fierce criticism from the Police Federation, with a claim the policy is a deliberate Government tactic to under-mine the service's credibility.
With officers already at odds with Ministers over their pay rise, any extra spending on testing is likely to be controversial.
The West and South Yorkshire forces have not yet set their budgets for testing next year but if they follow this year's level the total in the region is likely to be about UKP220,000.
Humberside is allocating the most resources, despite being a small force, with plans to test only 80 staff, using a budget of almost UKP93,000 - more than UKP1,000 for each anticipated test.
That contrasts with West Yorkshire, where senior officers this year have managed to test 30 officers a month from an annual budget of UKP30,000.
Liberal Democrat leader and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg is calling for the scheme to be reviewed.
"At a time when police budgets are under so much pressure it is vital money is spent sensibly so that police officers can be out on the streets cutting crime and keeping us all safe.
"It is extremely important that police are free from the influence of alcohol and drugs but testing should be proportionate and flexible."
South Yorkshire Police Federation spokesman Insp Bob Pitt accused the Government of "a consistent attempt to undermine the credibility of police" in the eyes of the public.
"It is a rather alarming waste of money, particularly when we are looking towards having to reduce numbers of police over the next couple of years.
"Forty million pounds is being saved by not backdating our pay award; some of that will be put into drug testing when we know we are not taking drugs.
"There is no evidence to suggest individuals are taking drugs and we have always had the opportunity to report any concerns, either through Crimestoppers or our professional standards department."
The Home Office has distanced itself from the situation, telling the Yorkshire Post it introduced legislation to allow the tests but left the decisions on how to proceed to individual forces, which "have discretion to determine the scale of testing, taking into account the extent of the risk".
However, a circular on the topic states a previous Home Secretary had approved a recommendation that "anational policy be introduced for testing" police officers and recruits.
A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police, which faces financial problems next year because of a change in the way Government grants are calculated, said: "It is a policy decision taken by the Home Office. It is compulsory."
Humberside Deputy Chief Constable David Griffin defen-ded the testing policy and said: "It is important that the public can have full confidence in their local police and we see this as an important step to achieve it."
He was pleased "the results indicate our police officers do not seem to have issues" related to drugs or drinking. "We are, of course, not complacent and will continue to monitor the results of the testing carefully."
South Yorkshire Police also has no plans to do less testing.
Not one of the region's 12,000 officers has failed any of the random tests, which were introduced early last summer, even though the alcohol limit is one-third of that for driving.
But the four forces are locked into the regime indefinitely, with costs expected to top UKP1,000 for each officer checked in one area, sparking criticism that it is a waste of money.
The Home Office is now facing a call to review the scheme to check it is delivering value for money. There is also fierce criticism from the Police Federation, with a claim the policy is a deliberate Government tactic to under-mine the service's credibility.
With officers already at odds with Ministers over their pay rise, any extra spending on testing is likely to be controversial.
The West and South Yorkshire forces have not yet set their budgets for testing next year but if they follow this year's level the total in the region is likely to be about UKP220,000.
Humberside is allocating the most resources, despite being a small force, with plans to test only 80 staff, using a budget of almost UKP93,000 - more than UKP1,000 for each anticipated test.
That contrasts with West Yorkshire, where senior officers this year have managed to test 30 officers a month from an annual budget of UKP30,000.
Liberal Democrat leader and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg is calling for the scheme to be reviewed.
"At a time when police budgets are under so much pressure it is vital money is spent sensibly so that police officers can be out on the streets cutting crime and keeping us all safe.
"It is extremely important that police are free from the influence of alcohol and drugs but testing should be proportionate and flexible."
South Yorkshire Police Federation spokesman Insp Bob Pitt accused the Government of "a consistent attempt to undermine the credibility of police" in the eyes of the public.
"It is a rather alarming waste of money, particularly when we are looking towards having to reduce numbers of police over the next couple of years.
"Forty million pounds is being saved by not backdating our pay award; some of that will be put into drug testing when we know we are not taking drugs.
"There is no evidence to suggest individuals are taking drugs and we have always had the opportunity to report any concerns, either through Crimestoppers or our professional standards department."
The Home Office has distanced itself from the situation, telling the Yorkshire Post it introduced legislation to allow the tests but left the decisions on how to proceed to individual forces, which "have discretion to determine the scale of testing, taking into account the extent of the risk".
However, a circular on the topic states a previous Home Secretary had approved a recommendation that "anational policy be introduced for testing" police officers and recruits.
A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police, which faces financial problems next year because of a change in the way Government grants are calculated, said: "It is a policy decision taken by the Home Office. It is compulsory."
Humberside Deputy Chief Constable David Griffin defen-ded the testing policy and said: "It is important that the public can have full confidence in their local police and we see this as an important step to achieve it."
He was pleased "the results indicate our police officers do not seem to have issues" related to drugs or drinking. "We are, of course, not complacent and will continue to monitor the results of the testing carefully."
South Yorkshire Police also has no plans to do less testing.
Monday, January 07, 2008
NARCOTICS GROUP HITS 'MASSIVE' CUTS
A coalition that represents dozens of state narcotic officers associations wants Congress to explain what the group calls "massive cuts to critical criminal justice programs" in the fiscal 2008 appropriations bill.
"More than 26,000 Americans die each year as a direct result of drug abuse. Drug abuse and addiction destroys communities, robs children of their hopes and dreams and weakens our economy. Drug sales fuel gangs and are responsible for much of our nation's violent crime," said Ronald E. Brooks, president of National Narcotic Officers' Associations' Coalition ( NNOAC ), which represents 44 state associations with nearly 70,000 drug-enforcement officers.
"Drug trafficking is domestic terrorism and is a chemical attack on American communities," he said, adding it was "extremely disappointing" and "irresponsible for our nation's leaders" when Congress cut the programs instead of supporting effective anti-drug initiatives.
The fiscal 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill cuts $350 million, or 67 percent, from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant ( JAG ) Program, which authorized the awarding of grants to states and local governments to improve the criminal justice system -- with emphasis on violent crime and serious offenders -- and enforce state and local laws that establish offenses similar to federal drug statutes.
Grants also are used to provide personnel, equipment, training, technical assistance and information systems for more widespread apprehension, prosecution, adjudication, detention and rehabilitation of offenders who violate such laws. Grants also have been used to provide assistance to victims of crime.
Funding for the federal program leverages state and local resources to address the most pressing criminal problems in local areas.
Mr. Brooks, director of the Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Northern California Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center, said many states support multijurisdictional drug task forces that take down regional and local drug-trafficking organizations including gangs.
Others use the funds for gang task forces, substance-abuse prevention and treatment, crime victim support programs, drug courts, justice information sharing initiatives, sex offender management, community corrections, offender re-entry and juvenile justice programs. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has reported extremely encouraging reductions in illicit drug use, especially among teens," Mr. Brooks said. "In addition, domestic meth labs are way down, cocaine availability is down, and prices are up.
"All these indicators of progress in our nation's continuing struggle to prevent drug distribution and use are threatened because of the Draconian cuts to the Byrne JAG program in this Omnibus Appropriations Bill," he said.
At least 75 percent of every JAG dollar goes to local sheriffs and police departments and the program has been described by both federal and state law-enforcement authorities as highly successful.
Mr. Brooks said state, local and tribal jurisdictions depend on the program to leverage local resources used to fight violence and drugs and that NNOAC is concerned that drastic cuts to the Byrne JAG program will cause multijurisdictional drug task forces to disappear in many states, "giving drug dealers a free pass."
"More than 26,000 Americans die each year as a direct result of drug abuse. Drug abuse and addiction destroys communities, robs children of their hopes and dreams and weakens our economy. Drug sales fuel gangs and are responsible for much of our nation's violent crime," said Ronald E. Brooks, president of National Narcotic Officers' Associations' Coalition ( NNOAC ), which represents 44 state associations with nearly 70,000 drug-enforcement officers.
"Drug trafficking is domestic terrorism and is a chemical attack on American communities," he said, adding it was "extremely disappointing" and "irresponsible for our nation's leaders" when Congress cut the programs instead of supporting effective anti-drug initiatives.
The fiscal 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill cuts $350 million, or 67 percent, from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant ( JAG ) Program, which authorized the awarding of grants to states and local governments to improve the criminal justice system -- with emphasis on violent crime and serious offenders -- and enforce state and local laws that establish offenses similar to federal drug statutes.
Grants also are used to provide personnel, equipment, training, technical assistance and information systems for more widespread apprehension, prosecution, adjudication, detention and rehabilitation of offenders who violate such laws. Grants also have been used to provide assistance to victims of crime.
Funding for the federal program leverages state and local resources to address the most pressing criminal problems in local areas.
Mr. Brooks, director of the Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Northern California Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center, said many states support multijurisdictional drug task forces that take down regional and local drug-trafficking organizations including gangs.
Others use the funds for gang task forces, substance-abuse prevention and treatment, crime victim support programs, drug courts, justice information sharing initiatives, sex offender management, community corrections, offender re-entry and juvenile justice programs. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy has reported extremely encouraging reductions in illicit drug use, especially among teens," Mr. Brooks said. "In addition, domestic meth labs are way down, cocaine availability is down, and prices are up.
"All these indicators of progress in our nation's continuing struggle to prevent drug distribution and use are threatened because of the Draconian cuts to the Byrne JAG program in this Omnibus Appropriations Bill," he said.
At least 75 percent of every JAG dollar goes to local sheriffs and police departments and the program has been described by both federal and state law-enforcement authorities as highly successful.
Mr. Brooks said state, local and tribal jurisdictions depend on the program to leverage local resources used to fight violence and drugs and that NNOAC is concerned that drastic cuts to the Byrne JAG program will cause multijurisdictional drug task forces to disappear in many states, "giving drug dealers a free pass."
Sunday, January 06, 2008
WAR ON DRUGS LEVIES A HEFTY TOLL
The War on Drugs claimed yet another victim last week when Wake County Alcoholic Beverage Control investigators conducted a drug raid that left one man dead and another wounded.
The deceased was a Texas fugitive by the name of Stephen Scott Thornton; a man who was wanted on federal drug charges for growing marijuana, which he claimed was for medicinal purposes. Thornton had been living in Raleigh for the last several years under an assumed name.
Acting upon a two-month investigation, Wake County ABC agents raided Thornton's home for marijuana plants, where a resulting shoot-out left Thornton dead and a sheriff's deputy wounded in the leg according to Wake County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Phyllis Stephens.
While none would argue that Thornton's actions weren't illegal, a question arises: at what cost should we continue to enforce the current laws? The fact is, the War on Drugs has already taken countless lives -- those of police officers, innocent civilians caught in the crossfire and other unsavory individuals whose crimes still hardly merit the death penalty.
All the while thousands more lives are ruined -- particularly those of college students, who are instantly disqualified from federal student aid if they are convicted of a drug-related offense. Ironically, even crimes like rape and murder manage not to warrant this level of attention.
To be sure, Thornton hardly comes across as a pitiable character. The incidents that lead to his first conviction in Texas began with Thornton brandishing a gun on a neighbor who had come to confront him about a violent outburst involving the neighbor's dog. When police came to investigate the gun incident, they found dozens of marijuana plants inside Thornton's home.
Thornton pled guilty to charges of illegal possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, yet fled the state while awaiting sentencing.
Compounding this is the fact that Thornton shot at the officers serving the warrant on his home so Thornton's death is not likely to evoke much sympathy. Yet the question remains -- despite Thornton being by all accounts a bad neighbor and potentially a menace, did his crimes warrant death?
Clearly, Thornton sealed his fate when he fired upon one of the officers serving the warrant, and the consequences he paid for it were most severe. However, none of this would have happened were we not stuck with a legal regime which prohibits substances such as marijuana to begin with.
Critics immediately point to the fact that it was marijuana that was responsible for Thornton's unfortunate end, as well as that of countless others. Yet this same flawed logic would just as soon blame alcohol for Al Capone's rise, rather than the real culprit: the Prohibition regime which allowed him to monopolize the bootlegging market and fund his criminal empire. Without Prohibition, bootlegging no longer proved to be a profitable criminal enterprise - and the rest is history.
Thus at some point the question must be asked - at what cost do we continue to wage the War on Drugs? While supporters would point to the negative social consequences from the abuse of drugs like marijuana, how many lives -- both those taken and those destroyed -- do these averted harms possibly justify?
Steve Skutnik
The deceased was a Texas fugitive by the name of Stephen Scott Thornton; a man who was wanted on federal drug charges for growing marijuana, which he claimed was for medicinal purposes. Thornton had been living in Raleigh for the last several years under an assumed name.
Acting upon a two-month investigation, Wake County ABC agents raided Thornton's home for marijuana plants, where a resulting shoot-out left Thornton dead and a sheriff's deputy wounded in the leg according to Wake County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Phyllis Stephens.
While none would argue that Thornton's actions weren't illegal, a question arises: at what cost should we continue to enforce the current laws? The fact is, the War on Drugs has already taken countless lives -- those of police officers, innocent civilians caught in the crossfire and other unsavory individuals whose crimes still hardly merit the death penalty.
All the while thousands more lives are ruined -- particularly those of college students, who are instantly disqualified from federal student aid if they are convicted of a drug-related offense. Ironically, even crimes like rape and murder manage not to warrant this level of attention.
To be sure, Thornton hardly comes across as a pitiable character. The incidents that lead to his first conviction in Texas began with Thornton brandishing a gun on a neighbor who had come to confront him about a violent outburst involving the neighbor's dog. When police came to investigate the gun incident, they found dozens of marijuana plants inside Thornton's home.
Thornton pled guilty to charges of illegal possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, yet fled the state while awaiting sentencing.
Compounding this is the fact that Thornton shot at the officers serving the warrant on his home so Thornton's death is not likely to evoke much sympathy. Yet the question remains -- despite Thornton being by all accounts a bad neighbor and potentially a menace, did his crimes warrant death?
Clearly, Thornton sealed his fate when he fired upon one of the officers serving the warrant, and the consequences he paid for it were most severe. However, none of this would have happened were we not stuck with a legal regime which prohibits substances such as marijuana to begin with.
Critics immediately point to the fact that it was marijuana that was responsible for Thornton's unfortunate end, as well as that of countless others. Yet this same flawed logic would just as soon blame alcohol for Al Capone's rise, rather than the real culprit: the Prohibition regime which allowed him to monopolize the bootlegging market and fund his criminal empire. Without Prohibition, bootlegging no longer proved to be a profitable criminal enterprise - and the rest is history.
Thus at some point the question must be asked - at what cost do we continue to wage the War on Drugs? While supporters would point to the negative social consequences from the abuse of drugs like marijuana, how many lives -- both those taken and those destroyed -- do these averted harms possibly justify?
Steve Skutnik
Saturday, January 05, 2008
GRAVEL TELLS KIDS: USE POT OVER ALCOHOL
Not much has been heard recently from former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel as the candidate continues his long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, but he did gain attention with recent remarks on alcohol and drugs during a high school visit.
Gravel, 77, appeared Sunday night at the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter as part of a series in which candidates and candidate representatives were asked to speak to students about their campaigns. At one point Gravel, who has called the war on drugs a failure, offered the students some advice.
"I'm sure a lot of you have tripped out on alcohol," Gravel said. "It's a lot safer to do it on marijuana."
Gravel, whose comments were recorded by WMUR-TV in Manchester, also told the students, "With respect to other drugs, if you've got a problem with coke, go to a doctor, get a prescription and get it filled at a drug store."
Critics have contended that Gravel has come off as the old angry uncle in his early appearances with the other contenders. But that was before most debate sponsors stopped inviting him to participate. Gravel has billed himself "eclectic."
He has maintained that drug use is a public health problem, not a criminal one, and has proposed replacing what he calls "prohibition" with a regulation of hard drugs. His campaign has reprinted a conversation he had in May with the Iowa Independent Web site in which he expressed support for decriminalization of marijuana.
"Go get yourself a fifth of Scotch or a fifth of gin and chug-a-lug it down and you'll find you lose your senses a lot faster than you would smoking some marijuana," Gravel said.
Julie Quinn, director of communications for Phillips Exeter, would say only that "the candidates have a right to their own opinions."
Gravel, 77, appeared Sunday night at the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter as part of a series in which candidates and candidate representatives were asked to speak to students about their campaigns. At one point Gravel, who has called the war on drugs a failure, offered the students some advice.
"I'm sure a lot of you have tripped out on alcohol," Gravel said. "It's a lot safer to do it on marijuana."
Gravel, whose comments were recorded by WMUR-TV in Manchester, also told the students, "With respect to other drugs, if you've got a problem with coke, go to a doctor, get a prescription and get it filled at a drug store."
Critics have contended that Gravel has come off as the old angry uncle in his early appearances with the other contenders. But that was before most debate sponsors stopped inviting him to participate. Gravel has billed himself "eclectic."
He has maintained that drug use is a public health problem, not a criminal one, and has proposed replacing what he calls "prohibition" with a regulation of hard drugs. His campaign has reprinted a conversation he had in May with the Iowa Independent Web site in which he expressed support for decriminalization of marijuana.
"Go get yourself a fifth of Scotch or a fifth of gin and chug-a-lug it down and you'll find you lose your senses a lot faster than you would smoking some marijuana," Gravel said.
Julie Quinn, director of communications for Phillips Exeter, would say only that "the candidates have a right to their own opinions."
Friday, January 04, 2008
MENDOCINO COUNTY VOTERS TO REASSESS POT LAW IN JUNE ELECTION
UKIAH - Mendocino County voters in June will decide the fate of a 7-year-old landmark marijuana ordinance that was the first in the nation to decriminalize personal use of pot.
At the end of a contentious three-hour public hearing Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to put Measure G up for voter review in the June 3 primary.
"It's a big step toward regaining control of our county," said Ross Liberty, an organizer of a citizen drive to repeal Measure G.
Tuesday's vote capped weeks of public debate on how to rid Mendocino County of its national reputation as a haven for marijuana growers, blamed in large part on Measure G's passage in 2000 and liberal local law enforcement policies that followed.
Measure G doesn't specifically address medical marijuana limits but rather allows up to 25 plants per person for personal use without fear of prosecution. Under current medical pot rules, Mendocino County allows a licensed user to possess two pounds of dried pot. Sonoma County allows three pounds per user, while Lake County follows recommended state guidelines allowing one-half pound.
The Mendocino County board's vote Tuesday signaled that current county marijuana policies are likely to dominate this year's local elections, including races for three seats on the county board.
Board incumbents Jim Wattenburger, Mike Delbar and Kendall Smith were joined by Supervisor John Pinches in deciding to give voters a second crack at Measure G. Supervisor David Colfax voted no, contending backers of the repeal Measure G drive should be required to go through a lengthy and potentially costly signature-gathering process to get the measure on the ballot.
"We're not deciding. We're simply allowing the voter to decide," Wattenburger said.
Tuesday's board vote followed three hours of public debate, including strenuous objections from longtime local advocates of decriminalizing marijuana for personal and medical uses.
"The rights of cannabis patients are at stake," said medical marijuana advocate Beth Bosk.
Nearly 40 people spoke to the board during Tuesday's hearing held in typical Mendocino County fashion.
Speakers ranged from pot advocate "Professor Ping Pong" to rural residents fearful of dope growers operating down the road. A few members of the audience wore T-shirts proclaiming "It's Only a Plant," while others waved placards in support of Measure G.
At the end of a contentious three-hour public hearing Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to put Measure G up for voter review in the June 3 primary.
"It's a big step toward regaining control of our county," said Ross Liberty, an organizer of a citizen drive to repeal Measure G.
Tuesday's vote capped weeks of public debate on how to rid Mendocino County of its national reputation as a haven for marijuana growers, blamed in large part on Measure G's passage in 2000 and liberal local law enforcement policies that followed.
Measure G doesn't specifically address medical marijuana limits but rather allows up to 25 plants per person for personal use without fear of prosecution. Under current medical pot rules, Mendocino County allows a licensed user to possess two pounds of dried pot. Sonoma County allows three pounds per user, while Lake County follows recommended state guidelines allowing one-half pound.
The Mendocino County board's vote Tuesday signaled that current county marijuana policies are likely to dominate this year's local elections, including races for three seats on the county board.
Board incumbents Jim Wattenburger, Mike Delbar and Kendall Smith were joined by Supervisor John Pinches in deciding to give voters a second crack at Measure G. Supervisor David Colfax voted no, contending backers of the repeal Measure G drive should be required to go through a lengthy and potentially costly signature-gathering process to get the measure on the ballot.
"We're not deciding. We're simply allowing the voter to decide," Wattenburger said.
Tuesday's board vote followed three hours of public debate, including strenuous objections from longtime local advocates of decriminalizing marijuana for personal and medical uses.
"The rights of cannabis patients are at stake," said medical marijuana advocate Beth Bosk.
Nearly 40 people spoke to the board during Tuesday's hearing held in typical Mendocino County fashion.
Speakers ranged from pot advocate "Professor Ping Pong" to rural residents fearful of dope growers operating down the road. A few members of the audience wore T-shirts proclaiming "It's Only a Plant," while others waved placards in support of Measure G.
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