Planners Reject Ban of Medical Pot Sales

Patients Sway Vote, Saying Nothing Else Offers Relief If Modesto City Council members are determined to ban medical marijuana sales Dec. 6, they'll have to do it without support from city planning commissioners. Many passionate people in Monday's crowded audience swayed a majority of commissioners not to recommend that Modesto do away with a cannabis re-tailer on McHenry Avenue, or outlaw medical marijuana. Several said they get no relief from legally prescribed narcotics, and said they don't want to drive to the Bay Area to obtain the only thing that works - marijuana. "These people have serious problems," commissioner Kent Newswander said. "I can't see how we can turn our backs on these people in need. I just can't do it." Council members, who will have a final say in a couple of weeks, earlier this year seemed eager to ban the drug with a moratorium, buying them time to prepare the outright ban. Planning commissioners got the first crack at it because the ordinance would rely on zoning laws to prohibit medical marijuana sales. Voting in the 5-2 minority Monday were commissioners Dave Cogdill Jr. and Kristin Olsen. Cogdill's father is an assemblyman and Olsen is in the Modesto City Council runoff race. "I'm disappointed that the people in favor of the ban did not show up tonight," Olsen said, looking out over a crowd of more than 100 who attended Monday's meeting. "I admonish them to show up at the City Council hearing so both sides can be heard." Some of the other five commissioners said they sympathized with speakers who came in droves to plead to keep open the California Healthcare Collective, which opened in Modesto in early March. "Nothing out there in pill form will help us," said Barbara Quast, a breast cancer survivor who said she is allergic to most medications. Withdrawals while trying to get off legal narcotics pushed her to attempt suicide, she said. Serena Gamboa said she has no appetite and can't sleep without marijuana. She said banning the drug would force her to buy it illegally on the street. "Please do not turn us into criminals," Todd Die-tel pleaded. "Show your compassion." Dr. John Fichtenkort, an 18-year Modesto physician, said he writes three or four letters per year as a last resort for patients who get relief no other way. Many medicinal marijuana dispensaries require customers to have a letter from a medical doctor saying they might benefit from marijuana use. Many of his colleagues do the same thing, he said. "This is a normal practice," Fichtenkort said. He said he risked negative consequences of speaking publicly because he "felt a duty" to his few patients who use marijuana. Speakers included Robert Raiche, whose lawsuit on behalf of his sick wife spurred a landmark June decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Though Raiche hoped to strengthen California's law allowing medical marijuana, the high court did the opposite by allowing federal agents to continue busting pot growers and sellers. But the ruling also allowed states and local governments wiggle room. Several cities, including Livingston, Manteca, Turlock and Merced, adopted moratoriums to keep stores from opening. Americans for Safe Access has sued others for similar bans, including Fresno and Pasadena, Raiche said. "You are inviting a lawsuit on your city if you adopt such an ordinance," he told commissioners. Modesto police Capt. Joel Broumas said authorities worry that marijuana retailers could draw the wrong crowd. But police have not documented any problems with the McHenry shop in nearly nine months, he said. That was enough to persuade some planning commissioners against recommending the ban. The Modesto City Council's Dec. 6 meeting is to start at 5:30 p.m. in the basement chamber at Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St.










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Local Students Told They Are On 'Front Lines' Of Drug Abuse

LOCAL STUDENTS TOLD THEY ARE ON 'FRONT LINES' OF DRUG ABUSE TYNGSBORO -- The stories are replete with heartache and misery and are designed to steer kids away from drugs. There is the Yale student who died of an overdose. There is the MIT student who died in a methamphetamine lab. There is the prominent doctor who became addicted to OxyContin, forfeiting a wonderful family, a beautiful home and a lucrative practice. "Drugs not only hurt the user, but it hurts everyone around him," Lt. Dennis Brooks told a group of about 200 students from area schools who attended an antidrug conference yesterday at the Boston University Corporate Education Center. The conference was sponsored by the Project Alliance Middlesex Partnerships for Youth and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. Brooks, a 23-year member of the Massachusetts State Police, assisted the students, all of whom are peer leaders in their schools, in identifying the various drugs that have made inroads into teen social circles in the last five years. He also spoke of the violence that often accompanies the drug culture. "The drug dealers and the drug users don't worry about me catching them," Brooks said. "They know I won't kill them or hurt them. They're worried abut their associates and their group of friends who can inflict some serious pain upon them." The good news is that alcohol and marijuana use is down among high-school students across the state, said Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley. The bad news, she added, is that OxyContin, anabolic steroids and other narcotics are readily available. So are heroin, cocaine and, now, crystal meth. "Let's get straight to the point," Coakley said after welcoming peer leaders and their teachers to Safe and Drug Free: A Peer Leadership Training for High School Students. Kids are dealing with so much more than kids of previous generations. There are temptations around every corner, and we can give them some information that will be helpful, ( and ) they will all be able to go back to their high schools and maybe, just maybe, they'll be able to help others. The theory behind the program is to teach kids what to say and how to respond to friends and loved ones who are in the throes of addiction. "If a kid who is a respected peer leader in his or her school says it's not cool to use OxyContin, then maybe kids will listen," Coakley said. "They're really not going to listen to what I have to say." When Brooks asked if the students know anybody who is currently using drugs, all hands went up. "You're on the front lines," he said. "You're the one that has to be there to get help. Oh, they'll be reluctant to let you help them, but you have to be persistent. Don't treat them like criminals. Treat them like somebody with a disease that needs help." Milling in the halls after the presentation, students chatted about the conference. "I thought it was useful and helpful, and it will come in handy when I talk to other kids about drugs," said Concord-Carlisle High School senior Gregory Proulx. "There was an awful lot of information to process." In addition to the Brooks presentation, workshops included such topics as abusive relationships and sexual-assault prevention, cyber bullying and Internet safety, adolescent gambling, and eating disorders. "It was good for the students to be able to attend," said Loren Baccari, a student adviser at Woburn High School. "I would have liked to have seen more in terms of providing concrete tips and strategies that the kids could use when dealing with peer situations."











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On Ganja and Violence

The Editor, Sir I TOO did read the coverage you gave to Dr De La Haye's assertions about a link between ganja and violence, but, unlike you, did not think it worthy of a response - at least not what he was reported as saying. Your editorial on Sunday has elevated it to a status that it does not deserve. Baseless Rumour May I remind you that the very reason why ganja was listed as a prohibited substance for the first time in 1912 was a baseless rumour that it was the cause of male East Indians murdering their wives. This, despite the Indian Commission Hemp Report of 1894. Subsequent measures criminalising the use and possession of ganja have followed the same pattern, ignoring such studies as the La Guardia Report in New York and the Rubin and Comitas research in Jamaica, not to mention a plethora of others across the world. If ganja "exacerbates aggressive behaviour", one could argue that a good meal, by increasing energy levels does the same. Personalities In the absence of the full statement of Dr. De La Haye, I prefer to believe that he must have qualified the link he is alleged to have made by limiting it to some psychosis-prone personalities. If, indeed, he did, then his suggestion would not, as you suggest, run counter to the Report of the National Commission on Ganja, which proferred evidence that such reactions were possible. If, however, he did not, and instead intended his statement to apply generally to the entire population of users, then what your editorial should be calling for is not a "renewed debate", but research-based scientific evidence that the murderous rage consuming a significant portion of Jamaica's youth population is linked to ganja. Of course, such research would have to rule out Kentucky Fried chicken, water, Bigga, callaloo, ackee and salt fish, Guinness, crack-cocaine and all the other substances that they ingest as daily fare. I am, etc., Barry Chevannes

Girl Pushers 'Work Schoolies'

GOLD Coast police are investigating reports that girls are being used to sell drugs to 'Schoolies' at Surfers Paradise. The Herald-Sun has reported that school leavers said young female pushers were working the main beach each night, offering ecstasy to the mostly under-age crowd for $35 a tablet. But police say they have not encountered the young female dealers, and point to "thousands" of bag searches in the Cavill Avenue schoolies precinct, which have so far turned up only small amounts of ecstasy or marijuana. Gold Coast police have used drug sniffer-dogs as part of random drug searches conducted throughout the week. "They are not finding any drugs," a police spokeswoman said, adding that there had not been any large drug busts during schoolies 2005. The only exception has been a man caught with 22 tablets on Thursday night. But social worker Dominic Mapstone, who runs the website schoolies.org.au, has said that he is not surprised by reports of drug dealing during schoolies' week. "Drugs are easier to get than alcohol if you are at the Gold Coast for schoolies, you will be offered drugs," said Mr Mapstone. Mapstone, who has travelled to the Gold Coast each year for twenty years for the festival, says that outside the heavily-policed Cavill Avenue precinct is where most illegal activity takes place. "They've got everything on offer, ecstacy and marijuana are easier to use for the casual drug user, but people are offered shots of heroin, speed, sometimes in the barrel of the needle ready to go. It is worse than ( Sydney's ) King's Cross". Gold Coast police say that with the last weekend of the Queensland schoolies festival coming up, arrests of school-leavers have been well down compared to the adult population. Police also say that they have confiscated only nine fake ID cards in a sweep co-ordinated with licenced venues, compared to 700 for the same period in 2004. So far, 65 school leavers have been arrested, most for public intoxication and disorderly behaviour. By comparison, arrests amongst non-schoolies have topped 150 so far. But could a decline in alcohol-related arrests be due to a shift amongst school leavers turning from alcohol to drugs? School-leavers are being praised for their behaviour this year, but reports of drug-dealing in Surfers' Paradise nightclubs have worried some. The Herald-Sun reported that a group of six boys it spoke to from Wangaratta confirmed that ecstasy was rife in the schoolies hotspot. "I went into the toilet at a club on Wednesday night, and a guy was even selling it there," said one of the group, a 17-year-old who has been using his older brother's ID to gain entry into nightclubs over the past week. An 18-year-old Brisbane teenager, who police said was not a schoolie, was arrested on the main nightclub strip early yesterday with 22 ecstasy tablets. A group of four teenagers were arrested while smoking marijuana in a small van. "It was reminiscent of a Cheech and Chong movie," Gold Coast Superintendent Brett Pointing said about the marijuana smell coming from the van. Next week, New South Wales school-leavers arrive at units, motels and hotels all along the Gold Coast as the festival enters its second week. Police say that the nature of the event changes with larger numbers of 18 year olds coming from southern states, as activity increases in licensed venues, rather than in public spaces and on beaches.

Ruling Stirs Debate but Won't Change Laws on Unborn

'Ice' Addict Cleared of Killing Newborn YESTERDAY'S Hawaii Supreme Court decision to overturn a former ice addict's manslaughter conviction in the death of her 2-day-old baby had plenty of supporters and detractors. But both sides appeared to agree that the state court's decision is unlikely to bring changes regarding the unborn. The Supreme Court ruled that Tayshea Aiwohi's son was an unborn fetus at the time she abused crystal methamphetamine, and therefore not a person, so her actions did not constitute manslaughter. State Sen. Sam Slom ( R-Diamond Head, Hawaii Kai ) said both the House and State judiciary chairpersons have said they would not support legislation to protect the unborn, so any bill would not get very far. But Slom said he still will look at victims' rights and whether there can be limited legislation to protect the unborn. "If something happens to any fetus under any circumstance, by today's ruling there could be no prosecution in any circumstance," he said. Slom said an attack on the fetus is punishable in other jurisdictions. "The way I read the Supreme Court decision is there would be no possibility of prosecution" in Hawaii, he said. But Sen. Bob Hogue ( R-Kailua ) had a different view on the outcome of the case. He said it showed how devastating the "ice" problem is in Hawaii. "We have to find a balance between treatment and tougher laws or incarceration," said Hogue, who expected the ruling to lead to a debate about abortion. But he hopes the community will remain focused on solving the ice problem. Rep. Sylvia Luke, House Judiciary Chairwoman, agreed with the ruling. "At least from the Judiciary Committee's standpoint, we don't have any interest in changing the current law to allow for such prosecution. I think that runs into a very dangerous ground because it can be expanded to not just drugs, but the state infringing on the woman's life when the woman is pregnant," Luke said. "Are we now going to say that pregnant woman can't smoke or ( dictate ) how much calcium a person would take?" she asked. But John Long, executive director of the Hawaii Right to Life, said a recent California murder case gave weight to a fetus being a person. "If that had been a boyfriend or a husband pressuring her to take crack or alcohol ... that would damage the unborn child, the ruling would have been entirely different," he said. "I think that's where we got to come to grips with some sort of an equitable standard that is right for all." Pamela Lichty, president of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, was pleased with the decision. She said it was important to treat women with substance abuse problems "as you would treat another medical problem and try to determine what is best for the woman and what is best for the fetus." She noted that if women were prosecuted for their conduct during pregnancy, they would not seek prenatal care. "Even women who use drugs during pregnancy benefit greatly by prenatal care," she said. "The prenatal care can balance out the health of the fetus."

Principal Says Kids Sold Marijuana And Hallucinogenic Mushrooms

HAILE FINDS 2 STUDENTS WITH DRUGS Principal Says Kids Sold Marijuana And Hallucinogenic Mushrooms At Middle School EAST MANATEE - For the second time in a week, the Manatee County School District's zero tolerance policy line has been crossed. Two Haile Middle School students were arrested by the school's resource officer within the last week for the possession of marijuana. The students were taken to the Juvenile Detention Center. Manatee County Sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said the amount of marijuana the students had was minimal and will most likely result in a misdemeanor charge. In a letter sent to Haile Middle School parents Wednesday, principal Janet Kerley reported an investigation into students selling marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms on campus and in their East Manatee subdivisions. She did not identify the neighborhoods. "Our investigation began when a student reported to a teacher that he saw someone offering to sell other students marijuana. We found a small amount of marijuana on the reported student and in turn were led to a second student who had a larger amount on him," Kerley wrote. The investigation found that five additional students were selling drugs and one was in possession of drugs with no intent to sell. During interviews, Kerley discovered the students were getting the mushrooms from local pastures and the marijuana from dealers, according to the letter. All of the students were suspended and may face expulsion in accordance with the zero-tolerance policy, according to Kerley. "Selling drugs is an expellable offense, meaning the students would not be allowed to return to this campus this school year," Kerley wrote. "First-time possession is a suspendable offense. A second school possession any time during their school career is also an expellable offense." Middle school director Louis Robison concurred with Kerley's statement. "We have zero tolerance for drugs for all schools in our district. The principal's actions to investigate the situation was a good one," Robison said. Robison said the drug-related incident is one of less than five that have occurred in the district's middle schools this school year. "I wouldn't say it's common, but rather isolated. It happens on occasion," Robison said. Robison termed the incidents a matter of poor judgment. "Kids make mistakes. They have poor judgment. But even though we have a few kids that have an error in judgment, others make up for it by letting the authorities know," Robison said. A Nolan Middle School eighth-grader was suspended last week for bringing a 3-inch pocket knife to school. He will go in front of an expulsion panel Dec. 1 to decide whether he can return to Nolan. The Haile Middle School investigation is continuing and as more names come up, more students will be questioned, Kerley wrote. A juvenile referral, referred to as a capias request for adult-age arrestees, has been issued for a third student, according to Bristow. Also in the letter, Kerley asks parents to discuss drugs with their children. "Please take this opportunity to discuss this important issue with your children. . . . If we want a drug-free campus, we depend on parents and students to let us know when they hear about drugs or know what kids on this campus are involved, so we can act," Kerley wrote. Robison also believes parents can help in the effort. "Parents should be talking to their kids of the dangers of drugs. They can't shy away from it. They need to take an active and aggressive role in this and ask their kids how things are going at school," Robison said. Mill Creek resident Jana Moran's children will attend Haile Middle School in the future. Moran was surprised to hear drug use was hitting so close to home. "Well, I guess it does surprise me," Moran said. "But then I think about the global perspective and I realize we can't live with blinders on." Gates Creek resident Dena Stewart, whose grandson, Larry White, will also attend Haile Middle School, was sad to hear about the presence of drugs on campus. "It's hard to say what the school should do about this," Stewart said. "I'm sure they would do anything they could to stop this." Stewart suggested an informal assembly to address problems like this when they occur. That's how she was brought up in the school system, she said. "The meetings were about things we needed to open our eyes to and take seriously," Stewart said. "It wasn't pounded into you, but it made you aware and a little ashamed." Kerley also touched on the fact that illegal drugs are widespread and don't discriminate. "Many of the students involved were getting good grades and taking upper-level classes," Kerley said.

Students D A R E To Be Healthy

Dozens of Dragon Lake elementary school students have the knowledge they need to make healthy choices about drugs and alcohol after graduating from the Drug Abuse Resistance Educationprogram on Tuesday. A total of 51 students from Grades 5 to 7 completed the D.A.R.E. program. D.A.R.E. officer Const. Bernna Barkman of the Quesnel RCMP said the program was excellent. "We had good participation and interaction amongst the students, teachers and myself," she said, "and parents are kept informed with what's going on." D.A.R.E. involves a nine-lesson curriculum with students completing work books, demonstrating good behaviour in class, keeping their bodies free from drugs, writing a D.A.R.E. report and signing a pledge to make wise decisions about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. The D.A.R.E. program started in Los Angeles, California and has since expanded to Canada, Barkman said. "It's hard to measure the effectiveness of the program," Barkman said, "but it's well-received by parents, students, teachers and the community in general." Barkman said most kids are exposed to drugs and alcohol at an early age and are vulnerable to experimenting with them, but how much they're at risk varies from child to child. "With the support of everyone involved, we're encouraging youth to make positive choices and staying out of risky situations," Barkman said. A D.A.R.E. program is also being held at St. Ann's Catholic School, with 35 students expected to graduate in December, Barkman said. The essays written by the students prove how important and effective the D.A.R.E. program can be. Student Sam Marleau wrote, "I believe that the D.A.R.E. program, taught to us by our D.A.R.E. officer, is educational and useful to all students. I am now better prepared to resist and avoid encounters with drugs and alcohol. "Being aware of facts, such as tobacco kills 45,000 people in Canada or alcohol can cause depression and lead to heart attacks or comas, is incentive to avoid these substances." Shauna Regner wrote, "Saying no to all these things is a healthy and wise decision. I also learned about peer pressure, when someone your age ( peer ) pressures you into doing something you don't want to do. "I learned how to say no. There are many ways. You can give the cold shoulder or walk away or just say no. The most important thing that I learned was that I'm worth it to say no to drugs, alcohol and peer pressure."

Bail Hearings Held for Nine Men Charged in Drug Bust

Nine Ontario men sought on U.S. extradition warrants appeared in a Toronto court yesterday for bail hearings, charged in a huge drug-smuggling bust that netted almost 300 suspects in Canada and the United States. Led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and dubbed Operation Sweet Tooth, the two-year joint-forces police operation targeted an Asian organized-crime network allegedly specializing in the trafficking of ecstasy and marijuana and the laundering of profits that were being sent to Vietnam. Authorities seized more than 900,000 ecstasy ( MDMA ) tablets, more than 600 kilograms of marijuana and $7.7-million ( U.S. ) in assets. The drugs were being spirited across the U.S. border from Canada, said RCMP Superintendent Ron Allen, who heads drug-enforcement in the Greater Toronto Area. The ecstasy pills were being manufactured in makeshift labs, while the marijuana was produced in grow operations, he said. "But our focus was the MDMA trade," Supt. Allen said, adding that what was particularly disturbing was that many of the exported ecstasy pills had been heavily cut with methamphetamine and in some cases were 90 per cent meth, which is far more addictive than ecstasy. Canadian police were able to identify the distribution and transportation ring but not the pill-pressing labs themselves, Supt. Allen said. The ingredients were allegedly imported from Asia and Europe. The United States has long been a profitable destination for illegal Canadian drugs that are either made here or transported from another point of origin. "We have a problem here," Supt. Allen said. "Organized crime will take advantage. . . . They feel that the laws in the U.S. [regarding drug production] are much more harsh than they are here." In this instance, it's alleged that the network comprised two organizations, which between them were distributing 1.5 million ecstasy tablets each month -- almost one-quarter of the MDMA brought into the United States in 2003. Some of the drug profits were allegedly sent to Vietnam, whose Ministry of Public Security also aided the operation, marking the first time U.S. police have worked with undercover Vietnamese police, the DEA said. A British Columbia resident was also arrested and provisional arrest warrants have been issued for four other Canadians. All the accused face drug-conspiracy charges in the United States, where a total of 281 suspects from 61 different judicial districts have been arrested. "Without the assistance of the Canadians, we could not have done this, and we're very appreciative," DEA special agent Steve Robertson said. Most of the Canadians are from the GTA, but their names were not immediately released. They were picked up on what are termed provisional warrants, which entail charging people accused under the laws of another country. Operation Sweet Tooth grew out of an earlier joint U.S.-Canadian drug sweep, Operation Candy Box, which resulted in arrests in the spring of last year. "When you make a whole pile of arrests, there's a whole pile of people who don't want to go to jail, " Supt. Allen said. "So what do they do? They co-operate with the police." The drug proceeds were sent to Vietnam through the use of bulk courier transport, money remitters and the Vietnamese underground banking system, U.S. officials said.

Roadside Drug Tests To Continue

Victoria is continuing its roadside random drug testing beyond its 12-month trial period and is set to increase penalties for offenders. The 12-month trial of saliva drug testing was to end on December 13 but Victorian Premier Steve Bracks today said random testing of drivers would continue. He also said the government was considering increasing penalties for those caught driving with illicit drugs in their system. During the trial period those who returned a positive laboratory result incurred a $307 fine and lost three licence points. "What we're waiting on is the final detail of the trial, but the indications to date are that we can move towards tougher and harder penalties for those people who are detected of having drugs in their bloodstream and therefore putting themselves and other people in danger on the roads," Mr Bracks said. "We know it's one of the causes of road deaths and road injuries, and we had lighter penalties initially whilst we're in the testing phase. "What we're waiting on is recommendations to look at tougher penalties." Victorian motorists were the first in the world to be subjected to random roadside saliva testing for illegal drugs such as cannabis and methamphetamine-based drugs. The tests require motorists to place a small absorbent pad on their tongues for a few seconds and then wait about five minutes before their test results are known. If they test positive for drugs, motorists are taken inside a police bus for a second test and asked to provide two more saliva samples. Despite being time consuming compared to the relatively quick breath tests for alcohol, Mr Bracks said the drug tests had proved successful. "You've got to remember that drug testing is a very complex matter," he said. "We've used the best possible technology, it does take more time than blood-alcohol testing but it has proved successful in the trials to date." More than 10,500 drivers had been tested up to last month, with 214 testing positive for drugs, including 49 truck drivers. Mr Bracks said police would continue to test drivers for illicit drugs after the trial concluded, as legislation was in place which allowed them to do so until July 2006.

Drug Abuse Partnership Releases First Report

North Sydney - Just 18, Spencer Strickland has lost three friends to prescription drug abuse in the past three years. "One was 17, one was 18 who just died recently, then there was another older gentleman who died," said the Boularderie resident, himself a recovering opiate addict on the methadone maintenance program. "It's not just the OxyContin. Everybody says it's the OxyContin, it's the Delotta, the morphine -- whatever they can get their hands on." Strickland said his drug use started with smoking marijuana when he was 13. He began using OxyContin at 15 with an older friend. His mother, Debbie Strickland, remembers the exact date, Aug. 11, 2003, when her son overdosed. He spent two days on life support and was released five days later. "There was no intervention before he left -- there was nothing in place," she said. "I work in health care and I made an issue that I wasn't taking him home until I knew there was something in place that was going to help him. "They were content at that time to allow almost two weeks go by without any kind of addictions counselling, appointments or anything. It's been a really hard struggle for the two years." The Stricklands were on hand to give their input at a public meeting of the Community Partnership on Drug Abuse. The group released its first annual report and strategic direction, Tuesday at the North Sydney Firemen's Club. In the report, the partnership outlines 11 recommendations on what work is left to be done, as well as the progress which has been made. John Malcom, chair of the partnership, said the most successful accomplishments were in the establishment of the prescription monitoring program, under provincial legislation, to give authority to follow up if there are problems with opiate prescriptions. As well, 85 patients are receiving treatment in the methadone maintenance program, with another 100 on a waiting list -- Malcom admits the demand was larger than first thought. There are, however, things that still need to improve. "The federal government has a responsibility to look at the monitoring of drugs, nationally," he said. "Nova Scotia is the only province in Atlantic Canada with a monitoring board and in a study Health Canada did this year, there are many more narcotics being prescribed in the other Atlantic provinces than there are in Nova Scotia. "Clearly, they can come across the border and the causeway if things are out of control elsewhere." More work in education and how to prevent the spread of crystal meth, a problem mounting in Western Canada, are other issues to be examined. Edgar MacLeod, chief of Cape Breton Regional Police and a member of the partnership, said the community needs to get more involved -- noting only about 40 people were in attendance, Tuesday night. "I'm extremely disappointed that this hall isn't filled -- it should be filled," he said. "What we fail to keep recognizing is that drug and alcohol abuse, the tremendous problems it's causing in our community. "It's at the root of perhaps 80-90 per cent of the crime in our community."









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Ex-Attorney Jailed On Drug Charges

FORT PIERCE -- Vincent Lloyd, a former attorney who spearheaded the rebirth of downtown Fort Pierce, is back in jail on cocaine charges after police received a tip from a confidential informant Friday, arrest papers state. Lloyd, 58, of 1109 Fernandina St., was arrested at a home on Manor Drive after police say they found him in a bedroom with a crack cocaine rock and pipe lying nearby. Kim Elliott, the home's owner, told police that the cocaine was not hers and said Lloyd mentioned he "didn't have to take a urinalysis" test until Tuesday, reports state. In addition to charges of possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia, Lloyd was charged with two counts of violating his probation stemming from a sentence imposed April 20, when he was convicted of violating his probation from a 2001 drug charge. In the original case, the former community leader and prominent civil lawyer was sentenced to a year in jail and five years' probation after pleading no contest to charges that he smoked crack cocaine with a 16-year-old girl in various hotel rooms. He was arrested for violating that probation in March after testing positive for cocaine in a court-ordered drug test. In April, Lloyd was sentenced to an additional five years of probation and ordered to complete a drug-treatment program slated to last six to 18 months. At the conclusion of treatment, he was ordered to serve 18 months of house arrest. Lloyd, whose law license has been suspended, once led the Downtown Business Association and was the single largest donor to the Sunrise Theatre's restoration. He bought and repaired several downtown buildings, including the one now rented by his bail bondsman, Louis Vadala of ABC Bail Bonds. Vadala was at the St. Lucie County jail on other business Saturday when he learned of Lloyd's latest arrest at 3:30 p.m. Friday. "He's lost just about everything because of this drug problem, but he's done more for Fort Pierce than anybody," Vadala said. "When he restored the old Fort Pierce hotel building, that was the start of everything. "It's a shame they won't let him out on bail," he said, noting that Lloyd was being held without bail. "He's not going anywhere, and he's not a threat to anyone."

Teen Pot Smokers Target Of Addictions Campaign

HIGH school pot smokers who get behind the wheel are the targets of addictions awareness week that kicked off yesterday in Manitoba at the Circle of Life Thunderbird House. In Manitoba, more than 40 per cent of high school students have used marijuana, according to the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, one of 20 community groups involved in awareness week. Canadians ages 14 through 25 have the highest rate of pot use in the world, according to the Canadian Public Health Association. It launched a national poster campaign yesterday after a recent survey found that many youths think pot smoking doesn't impair their ability to drive a vehicle. The poster shows commercial airline pilots lighting a joint in the cockpit as they prepare for take-off. The caption says: "If it doesn't make sense here, why does it make sense when you drive?" "Teens weren't aware that driving under the influence of cannabis was a problem," said Dr. Christiane Poulin, Canadian research chair in population health and addictions at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and the force behind a standardized student drug use survey in the Atlantic provinces. In Ontario, 22 per cent of youths who smoked cannabis reported driving an hour after smoking up, according to the CPHA. Poulin said she expects rates will be comparable across Canada. "We're in this together." The new generation of drivers has been indoctrinated in a culture that has tabooed drunk driving, said Poulin. It hasn't gotten the message that getting high also counts as impaired driving and is illegal, said the medical doctor who noted that cannabis use among Canadians has doubled in the last 20 years. In Manitoba more than half of the boys in high school have four or more drinks at one sitting, with one in five having driven within an hour of drinking, according to the AFM's Alcohol and Drug Use in Manitoba Students report issued earlier this year. "The public campaign gets beyond cannabis use and right to critical issue of impaired driving," said Poulin. For northern Inuit people, the rate of pot use is three times that of the rest of Canada, said Tracy O'Hearn, director of Ajunnginiq Centre of the National Aboriginal Health Organization in Ottawa. The rate of drug-impaired driving accidents "seem to be pretty high," said O'Hearn. There haven't been any recent studies, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence in local news media reports in the north, she said. Combatting the problem in the North is another story. Impaired driving in Winnipeg conjures up images of cars weaving through city streets, in the far north it's an even bigger problem that includes young people on snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. "We have to broaden our thinking and approach and make it more relevant to the arctic." Mothers Against Drunk Driving said the addictions awareness week campaign echoes one they launched against drug-impaired driving this fall before students headed back to school. "The MADD organization has been pushing on this for a while," said MADD's Winnipeg chapter spokesman, Rod Sudbury. The federal government's decriminalization of marijuana use didn't take into account people who would use it then get behind the wheel, he said.

Turn Our Backs On The Island Of Death

SINGAPORE is a serial killer. In recent years, hundreds of its citizens and quite a few foreigners have been executed. When it comes to state murder, on a per capita basis, the sterile, claustrophobic Singapore exceeds the dubious records of China, Russia and governor George W. Bush's Texas. Recently China has started to rein in regional magistrates, bringing the decision-making on the death penalty back to Beijing. Those accounts of instant executions - of prisoners being dragged from the dock to be shot behind the ear and their families being charged for the bullets - have become too embarrassing. The US is also losing enthusiasm for the death penalty. Too many cases have displayed the gross inequities of the system. Too often DNA evidence has belatedly proven the verdicts unsafe. How many victims have been proven innocent after the switch has been thrown, the pellets dropped, the needles shoved in the veins? But despite the sales pitch that it's the Switzerland of Asia, Singapore keeps its hangman very busy. The incumbent holds the world record for executions; he is proud to have killed more than 500 of his fellow human beings. His portrait on the front page of this newspaper last month ( see inset ) was unforgettable: so gross, so boastful, so cheerful of grin and philosophy. "I send them to a better place." He may be right about that. For all its glitz, Singapore is a harsh, authoritarian society. Yet of all our near neighbours, Singapore is the least criticised. Malaysia is recalcitrant, Indonesia corrupt. But we like Harry Lee's airline, the airport, the duty-free shopping. ( Better than Dubai, say the frequent fliers. ) Few Australians look behind the glamour of Singapore's airport at the grim realities of neighbouring Changi prison, to the fact that sophisticated, squeaky-clean Singapore is a parody of democracy. As in Mahathir Mohamad's Malaysia, it takes bravery to express dissent, while formal political opposition can lead to prison. To a very crowded prison, for Singapore has among the highest levels of incarceration on earth. Yet my last column on this city-state, with its overworked hangman, provoked a flurry of letters to the editor defending the place, saying we must respect Singapore's system of laws. No thanks, and to hell with Harry Lee's line on Asian values. Singapore's death penalty is overwhelmingly applied to drug couriers and is clearly a total failure, as it is wherever the penalty is used as a strategy in that lost cause called the war on drugs. Nothing stops the trafficking. Singapore could hang thousands - it probably will in due course - and there will be just as many poor fools ready to risk their lives for big money or a pittance. Despite all the publicity about Indonesia's firing squads, you can still recruit Australian teenagers for $500 and a free holiday. In this form of capitalism, capital punishment doesn't count. Thanks to free market forces, it just ups the ante and the price. But let's be fair; Singapore is rethinking the death penalty. It's going to abandon the noose and trapdoor, replacing them with the needle and gurney. That's progress. For just as it matters little how many drug couriers you kill, it hardly matters how much heroin you intercept. Seize 100 tonnes instead of 100g and there'd be little more than a hiccup in the distribution system. The street price would rise and the warlords we've returned to power in Afghanistan would simply increase the poppy crop to protect their 80per cent world market share. Drug seizures are like dipping buckets in the ocean. Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty's appalling contribution to the death penalty debate has been to talk of thousands of young Australians who'd have died had the Bali nine smuggled all that heroin into Australia. This is specious. Keelty should admit that, were heroin legally available to addicts, there'd be a hope of controlling quantity and quality. That would save lives. And if he were really worried about young Australians dying of drugs, we'd hear him attack what's responsible for more than 90per cent of drug-related deaths: grog and tobacco. Far more Australian lives are destroyed by petrol sniffing than heroin. I despise drugs and, jazz notwithstanding, have little enthusiasm for the drug culture so enthusiastically marketed by everyone from those nice Beatles to the thugs of hip-hop. ( Half the pop songs in the past 30 years have been advertising jingles for the drug de jour, from LSD to crack cocaine. ) But equally I despise the hypocrisy of this war on drugs. Add the moral horror of the death penalty or the monstrous nonsense of an Australian girl arrested in Denpasar for possessing two ecstasy tablets and we're living in a world gone mad. Not so along ago, the French saved one of their citizens from the noose - that other version of the Singapore sling - by threatening to break off diplomatic relations. Yet Canberra doesn't dare to criticise Singapore. It's too important to our economy. Singapore's a big shareholder in companies such as Optus. And the PM wants our airlines to merge. And we love the shopping.

LOCAL COUNTY SUPPORTS RESTRICTIONS ON SALE OF PSEUDOEPHEDRINE

KINGMAN - Mohave County supervisors agreed to send a letter of support Monday to the state legislature to restrict the sale of over-the-counter drugs that can be made into methamphetamine. A Bullhead City Council ordinance passed last week restricts the over the counter sale of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine within the city limits. Phoenix and Tucson have already passed similar laws to Bullhead City's. Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are main ingredients used to make methamphetamine, the drug that is responsible for many crimes. A city has the authority in its ordinances to restrict the drugs. However, counties have to abide by laws enacted by the state legislature. Without a statewide policy, meth producers can purchase pseudoephedrine and other drugs from pharmacies outside the city limits. A state law would make meth more difficult to produce. Oklahoma passed a similar law, which reduced the number of meth labs in that state by 70 percent. Common cold and allergy medications are some of the products that contain pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. Meth labs not only manufacture meth but can be highly flammable and extremely toxic. Fires, explosions and environmental contamination can occur from meth labs. Meth labs are found in apartments, houses, motel rooms in residential or commercial areas and can threaten children, firefighters and police officers as well as innocent residents. Under the new Bullhead City law, pseudoephedrine products would be kept behind a pharmacy's counter and not accessible to the public without the assistance of a pharmacist. Any products that are displayed and accessible to the public would be confiscated by the Bullhead City Police Department. The pharmacists must also keep a log either by hand or electronically of all purchases including the name, address and date of birth of the buyer and the date of the purchase. A copy of the log would be submitted to the Bullhead City Police Department each month. Pseudoephedrine products would not be sold to juveniles.
















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Follow The Money

BOGOTA, Colombia - American agents are fighting drug traffickers by following the money -- hundreds of tons of cash every year. - Drug kingpins smuggle vast amounts of cocaine and other drugs into the United States, where they sell it in bulk. They don't take credit cards or checks -- only cash will do. That amounts to a lot of greenbacks that traffickers then want to get to Mexico and other points south. Decades of efforts to seize drugs entering the United States and to wipe out drug production in source countries like Colombia have not reduced the availability of drugs on the streets of America. So U.S. agents are now also focusing on drug traffickers' revenue. "The drugs don't seem to dissipate the more we seize, so we're looking at trying to cut off their lifeline to the money, because that money is going to finance the next cycle of drugs that come into the United States," Don Semesky, head of financial operations of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told The Associated Press. Traffickers smuggle $6 billion to $22 billion in cash into Mexico from the United States each year, Semesky said in a telephone interview from DEA headquarters near Washington. Moving that amount of cash, destined mostly for Mexican and Colombian drug cartels, is no easy feat. A million dollars in $20 bills -- often the smuggled denomination -- equals 50,000 bills weighing 117 pounds. In a single stack it would reach 16 feet, 8 inches high. One million bucks in $100 bills weighs over 23 pounds and would reach 3 feet, four inches high. Six billion dollars -- the minimum estimated total smuggled each year - -- amounts to 351 tons in $20 bills. In $100 notes, $6 billion weighs 70 tons. To transport the cash, traffickers often use the same smuggling methods and routes that brought the drugs into the United States. The drugs go north across the U.S.-Mexican border. The cash heads south. U.S. drug agents have found bulk cash packed into car doors, secreted in tires or simply buried under a load of bananas and other produce or merchandise in trucks. Smuggling of bulk cash along the U.S.-Mexican border "is rampant," said Jere Miles, a representative of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. On Oct. 13, for example, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seized more than $2 million near the border in Santa Rosa, Texas, and arrested a Texan who was allegedly carrying the cash in two suitcases in his tractor-trailer. And that was just small change. "We have thousands of miles of border and there's really not any way we're ever going to stop it unless we build a 40-foot wall or something, and that's not going to happen," Miles said during a money-laundering conference in the Mexican capital. In order to focus its resources on tracking and intercepting the cash, the DEA in July announced the launch of its Money Trail Initiative. It is at the point where traffickers still have profits in the form of bulk cash that they are vulnerable -- before they can launder the money through financial institutions and in commercial transactions. U.S. money-laundering laws are stricter than in some other countries. For example, all financial institutions operating in the United States are required to report transactions of $5,000 or more that involve potential money-laundering. So traffickers try to get the cash across the border. Once outside the U.S., they often introduce the money into a legitimate financial institution with looser restrictions and finally move it into U.S. banks in seemingly innocent wire transfers, Semesky said. The traffickers like the dollar's tradeability and America's stable financial system, he said. "It hurts them a lot more when we seize their money than when we seize their drugs." So far, the Money Trail Initiative has led to the confiscation of $36.2 million in cash from drug traffickers, said Garrison Courtney, a DEA spokesman. Compared to the total dollars smuggled, the confiscated amount is a drop in the bucket -- a mere write-off for the traffickers. But the drug agents are now turning around and using the money seized by federal agencies to finance other law enforcement operations, the DEA said. Associated Press writer Morgan Lee in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Crime Problem Can Kill Growth

City Must Focus On Public Safety Where Indianapolis' future is concerned, optimism abounds in spite of a gathering storm. In the "What Keeps You Up at Night?" feature on page 54, Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association President and CEO Bob Bedell talks about how well-positioned the city will be to compete for big conventions once the new convention center is finished. Beginning on page 25, our Power Players in Commercial Real Estate discuss the many advantages associated with developing and leasing office, retail and industrial space here: The city is centrally located, vibrant, easy to navigate, a great place to raise a family. The list goes on. What isn't top of mind for the business community, at least not yet, is that the city's public safety infrastructure is in shambles. Unless we summon the courage to find the money to fix it, the city's ability to lure conventions, attract real estate investment, sustain existing businesses, and grow its life sciences economy will be in jeopardy. This is a city without enough officers to fight crime. It's a city whose judicial system is inadequate, in both staffing and physical facilities, to try the accused. And it's a city without enough jail space to house the convicted. The system's deficiencies are well-known, making it open season for those inclined to commit crimes against people and property. A city perceived as unsafe won't sustain its economy in the long term. In the face of this growing problem, attempts at piecemeal improvement are doomed by politics. Mayor Peterson's police consolidation proposal died a partisan death even as it tried to chip away at a bipartisan problem. Had the mayor's proposal succeeded, it wouldn't have solved all our public safety problems. It wouldn't have addressed the safety and efficiency concerns that go along with housing 30 courts in a City-County Building designed to hold half that number. And it wouldn't have addressed the futility of apprehending criminals who are sometimes allowed back out on the streets because there's nowhere to house them. With the city's public officials spinning their wheels, business leaders must intervene and push for a comprehensive solution. A city that can marshal the forces necessary to build a stadium and convention center can surely muster the focus, commitment and cooperation to fix a problem that puts everyone's lives and livelihoods at risk.

Blind Eye May Prove Costly Grow-Op Rules Hold Landlords

Grow-Op Rules Hold Landlords Accountable For Costs A new grow-op bylaw intended to send a serious message to landlords, property managers and homeowners has barely registered a peep since its inception. But that promises to change this week. Enacted on July 1, Richmond politicians had touted the property maintenance and repair bylaw as an indication they weren't going to tolerate the proliferation of marijuana grow-ops and more recently, methamphetamine labs. And that property owners and managers would be held accountable. Yet despite the numerous grow-ops busted by the Richmond RCMP since Oct. 1-property owners were given a 90-day grace period to conduct their first inspection following the bylaw's July introduction-not a single fine has been levied by the city. City spokesperson Kim Decker said the bylaw is intended to be both preventative and punitive, but to date nobody has been hit with a hefty bill. But Mayor Malcolm Brodie said that will change by week's end. He said there have been seven busts of grow ops since Oct. 1, and those property owners will be billed under the bylaw. Those busts have been of average size, Brodie said, and the property owners may be on the hook for $1,000 to $3,000. Homeowners will be billed by mail, and if they don't pay, they will find the amount added later to their property taxes. While Brodie said it will be challenging to compile the costs associated with busts, that work will need to be done in order for the bylaw to act as a deterrent as well as a reminder to the community of the dangers associated with grow ops. "We feel it's an important step in taking action and we feel most serious about it, I can tell you." Coun. Kiichi Kumagai said he will insist that the city vigorously pursue cost recovery. "It is a serious message to the landlords," Kumagai said. Coun. Linda Barnes, chair of the city's community safety committee, agreed. Following the initial public awareness effort, which has now passed, Barnes said the city will get tough. "After the three months, I'm serious and I expect that bylaw to be enforced. We mean business." Under the bylaw, property owners can be pursued for "all direct and indirect costs" incurred by Richmond Fire-Rescue, the Richmond RCMP, the city's business licensing and building approval departments, as well as costs for dismantling, removal, clean up, transportation and storage as well as disposal of equipment, substances, materials and other paraphernalia. Barnes said it's her understanding that the delay in assessing fines is the result of staff wanting to ensure "all their ducks are in a row" before proceeding with legal action. Richmond RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen said that in order for the bylaw to be preventative, it needs to be enforced, which means it must be punitive. "It is our hope this bylaw would be enforced whenever possible, when factors dictate it can be enforced." Thiessen said police and the city continue to work closely together on this endeavour. He said the two meth labs busted on No. 5 Road and Steveston Highway in September are two of the primary targets. Efforts are underway to determine all the costs associated with that bust, which Thiessen estimated will easily reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. As an indication of the steep costs for drug investigations, Thiessen gave a couple of examples. The protective suits worn by the firefighters and members of the RCMP's meth lab people cost between $700 and $800 each, and 100 suits were used during those two massive September busts. Some $6,000 worth of protective gloves were needed, he said. All of the agencies involved in the investigation have been asked by the city to submit their costs, for such things as wages, Thiessen said. Meanwhile, the community continues to assist police in their war on grow ops, he noted. Earlier this month, neighbours helped the RCMP uncover a grow-op in a brand new townhouse complex at the 10000 block of Odlin Road. On Nov. 3, the city's green team found 140 plants inside the unit. "The early location and dismantling of this grow operation was due to the diligence of the complex residents and their concern for their community," Thiessen said.

Drug Sweep Involved Local Suspects

A six-month investigation and the collective efforts of 31 northern New Jersey and federal law enforcement agencies ended in a massive drug bust Saturday which involved at least four counties. Morris County officials say the bust, which resulted in the arrest of more than 110 suspects -- including minor-league baseball players and the owner of a Morris County restaurant -- included Sussex and Warren county residents, but their names were not released Saturday or Sunday. The prosecutor's offices in both counties were part of the investigation task force. The bust was "the largest single sweep in Morris County history," according to the Morris County prosecutor's office. The investigation, named "Operation Bulldog," focused on [identification deleted] as the center of a large drug operation. Nearly 400 police officers were involved in raids executed in Sussex, Morris, Essex and Warren counties. "The investigation started about six months ago, and it went into high gear about late August, early September," said Deputy Chief Prosecutor Paul Kellenberg. During that time, the task force was built. He added that more arrests have been made since Saturday but those details would be released at a news conference today. The raid was performed early Saturday morning. Most arrests were made within a three-hour period and all suspects were taken to the Morris County Correctional Facility, where some were released on bail. Authorities said employees at the restaurant were selling drugs from the parking lot, inside the restaurant and in the bar area. Morris County Prosecutor Michael Rubbinaccio said in a written statement that the "take out business identified as part of this operation did not involve food, but rather cocaine." One of the business owners, [name deleted] was arrested, along with [name deleted], the daughter of a known member of the Lucchese crime family and two former minor league baseball players, [names deleted]. One of the restaurant's employees, Dover resident [name deleted], was charged with being the leader of a large drug network and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. The ages of those arrested and charged ranged from 18 to 67. Suspects face a variety of charges ranging from possession to conspiracy to distribute. Large amounts of cash and drugs and more than 65 cars were seized, officials said. The Morris County Prosecutor's Office oversaw the investigation, which included a task force of 80 officers from the agencies, including U.S. Marshals, U.S. Customs and police in more than 15 municipalities, involved in the joint effort, Kalleberg said.

Heroin Study Struggles For Test Subjects

HEROIN STUDY STRUGGLES FOR TEST SUBJECTS VANCOUVER, British Columbia - On Vancouver's skid row, one of the most heroin-addicted neighborhoods in Canada, researchers offering a free prescription version of the drug have been struggling to find test subjects. North America's leading study of whether a therapy using prescription heroin can help treat chronic addicts was launched in February and Canadian researchers had planned to enroll 470 addicts within six to nine months. The researchers working in Vancouver and Montreal have only enrolled 80 people, and their hope of conducting part of the government-sponsored C$8.1 million study in Toronto has failed to work out. "Initially, recruitment was slower than expected," said Dr. Martin Schechter, who heads the North American Opiate Medication Initiative ( NAOMI ). "We're working very hard to get as many people as we can." The study received international attention when it began, with critics in Canada and the United States attacking the idea as coddling addicts. Researchers say many addicts who wanted to participate were turned down because they did not pass the rigorous screening. Participants must have been addicted to heroin or other opiates for at least five years. They must also have tried and failed more than once in rehabilitation programs using the drug methadone. The study is examining if hard-core addicts will be more willing to stick with a prescribed heroin treatment program than the traditional methadone treatment. Researchers also worry their recruitment was initially too passive and relied on addicts to come to them. They have now gone into the community to seek participants through health and support groups. Diane Tobin, a Vancouver resident who has struggled with heroin addiction for 30 years, was finally accepted into the study two weeks ago. She said she's been using heroin since the age of 17 and has been supporting her C$75 a day habit by doing "anything legal I can take to get a few bucks." Her addiction sometimes forces her to buy the drug from dealers she doesn't trust. "It's a Russian roulette. And it scares the hell out of me," she said. Tobin does not yet know whether she will be among the nearly 50 percent of study subjects receiving prescription heroin injections for 12 months, or the other half who will use methadone for comparison purposes. Methadone treatment has not worked for her in the past, but she was optimistic nonetheless. "Once I get on here, I don't think I will come to street level heroin again," she said. The study has encountered other setbacks. It was originally intended to include three cites, but while it has treatment sites in Vancouver and Montreal the plans for Toronto were scrapped because facility problems. Researchers had originally wanted to work with addicts in the United States as well, but that idea was dropped even before the Canadian treatment sites were open. "As you can imagine, the concept of medically prescribed heroin can be quite controversial. I'm not sure it was particularly welcomed by the U.S. government," said Schechter. David Marsh, NAOMI's lead investigator said it's impossible at this stage of the study to determine any effects of prescription heroin therapy. Still, Tobin said she and others will be eagerly awaiting the results. "I've often thought about what's going to happen when I'm 80 years old and in an old-age home, going 'Where's my heroin? Where's my heroin?"' Tobin said. "Hopefully, by then, it will be regulated and I'll be taken care of." While researchers had intended to complete the study by February 2007, "it will likely be longer than that," Schechter said. "We're going to go as long as it takes."














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Helping Citizens to Fight Crime

HELPING CITIZENS TO FIGHT CRIME Police Plan Seminars on Preventive Tactics CITY police launched a renewed blitz yesterday to get Winnipeggers more involved in crime prevention. Const. Lynn Letozke said yesterday the crime prevention unit will host 12 public seminars in the next six weeks to teach homeowners how to protect themselves and their neighbours from new crime trends. The seminars will advise on how to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud and how to spot marijuana grow operations and clandestine drug labs. Letozke said that in the past, police focused more on residential home security, but found people want more information on other types of crime. In response, the police service has prepared an 80-page crime prevention handbook to give to each person attending a seminar. Also included are tips on how to prevent auto theft, personal safety on the street and forming Neighbourhood Watch programs. Letozke said Neighbourhood Watch programs have fallen off in the past couple of years and police want to revitalize them. "It's certainly no secret we need the public's assistance and help be our second eyes and ears," he said. "We're happy for any participation." False security He added that people with home burglar alarms may have a false sense of security. They might think that if they turn on the alarm, they don't have to tell their neighbour they're going away. He said the result is the home could be broken into and the alarm triggered, but no one pays attention to it until it's too late. "It's about looking after each other's property," Letozke said in describing the benefit of a Neighbourhood Watch program. The crime awareness seminars, which include a one-hour Power Point presentation, will be held: * Oct. 4 at Gateway Recreation Centre, 1717 Gateway Rd. * Oct. 11 at Sturgeon Creek Collegiate, 2665 Ness Ave. * Oct. 12 at Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba, 737 Keewatin St. * Oct. 18 at East End Community Club, 517 Pandora Ave. * Oct. 19 at Daniel McIntyre High School, 720 Alverstone Ave. * Oct. 19 at Shaftsbury School, 2240 Grant Ave. * Oct. 24 at Garden City Community Centre, 725 Kingsbury Ave. * Oct. 25 at Dakota Collegiate, 661 Dakota * Nov. 1 at Westdale Community Club, 550 Dale Blvd. * Nov. 2 at Louis Riel Arts and Technical Centre , 5 DeBourmont Ave. * Nov. 8 at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate, 181 Riverton Avenue * Nov. 15 at Church of the Rock, 1397 Buffalo Place. Each meeting starts at 7 p.m. The presentations are also listed on the Winnipeg Police Service website, www.winnipeg.ca/police, under Crime Awareness Presentations.







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More Tools With Which to Fight Meth

MORE TOOLS WITH WHICH TO FIGHT METH Efforts to combat the superaddictive drug methamphetamine got a boost this week from a new state law that makes key ingredients harder to get. Combined with efforts of local residents fighting the drug, the law should at least slow the spread of the drug here. The new law puts drugs containing certain ingredients behind the counter. Buyers of cold and allergy tablets or caplets containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine must be at least 18 years old, show identification and sign a log at the pharmacy. The new law also limits purchases to no more than two packs at a time or three in a month. Concerns the measures might frustrate legitimate buyers are a small price to pay to help protect the public, said state Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Laurel Park. "It is an epidemic in Western North Carolina," said Apodaca, who supported the law along with N.C. Rep. Carolyn Justus, R-Dana. "Hopefully this will do something to get it somewhat under control." Justus had a close encounter with a meth lab that was found in the Raleigh motel where she was staying during her first season in the General Assembly in 2003. After the room was secured, police took her in to see potentially explosive ingredients that meth manufacturers hide everywhere from car trunks to abandoned or occupied buildings. "Methamphetamine is just the most dangerous thing that we have going," she said. "We have to keep our people safe." So far Henderson County has not had a major problem with the illegal labs and their brew of toxic byproducts, Sheriff George H. Erwin Jr. said. But the county has seen a drastic increase in use of meth. Last year, local officers investigated 122 meth cases and seized more than $200,000 worth of the drug. In the first six months of this year, officers worked 67 meth cases and confiscated supplies of the drug valued at more than $220,000. That's an alarming rise from 1999, when the sheriff's department investigated only six cases and seized $3,855 worth of meth. A group of educators, social workers, counselors, nurses and law officers have come together in Henderson County to fight meth on several fronts. Jane Ferguson, chief executive officer of Appalachian Counseling, organized the task force in response to the rapid rise in meth addiction here. She estimates 80 to 90 percent of people in Appalachian Counseling's substance abuse programs are being treated for meth. The group is meeting regularly to develop protocols for health and other professionals to follow in circumstances where they suspect meth may be used. For instance, public health nurses who visit homes need a way to gauge how much suspicion warrants a call to law enforcement. No doubt such questions will raise concerns from civil libertarians. But the task force is right to find out the answers to equip all agencies with the tools they need to safely do their jobs, and to protect the public and children who may be endangered by meth.




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Keeping Busy

KEEPING BUSY Rutland High School students who have been caught using drugs or alcohol may get a break under a new rule being reviewed by the School Board. Essentially the new rule, if adopted, would allow these students to continue to participate in extracurricular activities if they agree to take random drug tests. The cost of the drug tests would be paid for by their families. The move to offer random drug testing is considered a softening of the school's current policy, which mandates levels of punishment based on the infraction. A first offense can bring a suspension from 25 percent of the activity -- usually the athletic schedule -- plus community service and counseling. A third offense can mean expulsion from all activities until graduation. Offering a third option, a year's worth of random drug testing, could mean students would avoid suspensions from their after-school activities. The School Board is to be applauded for taking a serious look at this well intentioned idea. National estimates are that about half of all teens are users of drugs and alcohol. Many, many of them are also making commitments to doing school plays, joining school clubs and playing sports. All the research shows that the best way to keep young people from using drugs and alcohol is to keep them busy -- and that means involved in sports and other school activities. If the students are engaged in these pursuits there is simply less time to get into trouble. While other schools in other states have instituted random drug testing for all students involved in extracurricular activities, the Rutland plan is appropriate in that it would be reserved for the culprits and not the general student body. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled drug testing is constitutional for students involved in athletics, it still spurs emotional debate in school communities with some who see the tests as an invasion of a student's privacy. That said, drug testing is not without its problems. Depending on the test, it won't detect all substances. The School Board will want to make sure that the tests used here will detect tobacco and alcohol -- the most commonly abused substances -- as well as other drugs. How effective the tests will be in keeping students clean is debatable. Drug testing does not differentiate between students who are regularly abusing and those who experiment. A study of Michigan schools shows no difference in the number of teens using drugs between schools that test and those that don't. Finally, there's the cost of testing itself. Twelve months of drug tests could easily become out of reach for some families, effectively canceling out an option that may most help their child. In adding random drug testing to its arsenal of tactics to keep students drug-free, the School Board has landed on a punishment that fits the crime. Now the board will have to make sure that it is a punishment that is available to all students, not just those with the means to take that option.

Pot Activist To Face Charges In Canada

POT ACTIVIST TO FACE CHARGES IN CANADA Private Citizen Hopes His Legal Move Will Prevent Emery's Extradition to U.S. VANCOUVER -- A private citizen says he is filing charges today against pot activist Marc Emery and two of his associates, partly because that will throw a wrench into U.S. plans to extradite them to face drug charges in that country. "If he gets charged in Canada that will have major legal consequences for that extradition request," said David McCann, a Vancouver philanthropist and businessman. Mr. McCann said he has hired prominent lawyer Peter Leask in filing three charges of conspiracy under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. Mr. McCann says Canada has been hypocritical in allowing Mr. Emery to sell marijuana seeds and collecting thousands of dollars in taxes from him, and in the City of Vancouver giving him a business licence for his pot paraphernalia store. "We have let him operate and now we let the Americans walk into our country and charge a man who they will probably lock away for the rest of his natural life in the United States for doing something that the government of Canada condoned. And you know, I got a problem with that as a Canadian." Mr. Emery, along with co-accused, Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek and Gregory Keith Williams, were arrested July 29 after police raided Mr. Emery's store as part of an 18-month investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. "He broke the law in Canada, and so if we are going to let him be charged, he should be charged here, where he did the offence," said Mr. McCann, adding he has never met Mr. Emery. Mr. McCann noted that Health Canada has even referred patients, many of them terminally ill, to Mr. Emery for medicinal marijuana. Kirk Tousaw, one of Mr. Emery's lawyers, said it is possible that the U.S. attempts to extradite his client would be thwarted. Section 47 of the Extradition Act says the justice minister may refuse extradition if he is satisfied that the same conduct is the subject of criminal proceedings in Canada. "If Canada is trying someone for the same crime then certainly one would think it makes sense to keep them here in Canada rather than send them somewhere else," Mr. Tousaw said. Mr. Emery, leader of the Marijuana Party, said he sees Mr. McCann's private prosecution attempt as something positive because he has always felt he should be charged in Canada for his activities. "His intent is to stop the extradition and have me charged under Canadian law in a Canadian courtroom," Mr. Emery said. "I'd much rather be in front of a Canadian jury in a Canadian court. It'd probably still keep me out of the seed business for the rest of my life, alas, but it certainly would lay people's fears of a sovereignty intrusion to rest." Mr. Emery said all Canadians will be complicit if the United States succeeds in extraditing him to face drug charges because he has been doing it for years without anyone raising a fuss. He said he attended a public forum called the Cannabis Conundrum at the Vancouver Public Library on Wednesday, where a former police officer said the Crown refused to lay charges against him after his department conducted an investigation 2 1/2 years ago. Mr. Emery's extradition hearing continues Oct. 21. His supporters have requested that Justice Minister Irwin Cotler step in, but he has said the matter is now before the courts.

Denver Voters OK Marijuana Possession

Residents of the Mile High City have voted to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults. Authorities, though, said state possession laws will be applied instead.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, 54 percent, or 56,001 voters, cast ballots for the ordinance, while 46 percent, or 48,632 voters, voted against it.
Under the measure, residents over 21 years old could possess up to an ounce of marijuana.
"We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to the user and society than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, campaign organizer for SAFER, or Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation. "To prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana is bad public policy."
Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project said he hoped the approval will launch a national trend toward legalizing a drug whose enforcement he said causes more problems than it cures.
Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and a few college towns already have laws making possession the lowest law enforcement priority.
The Denver proposal seemed to draw at least as much attention for supporters' campaign tactics as it did for the question of legalizing the drug.
Tvert argued that legalizing marijuana would reduce consumption of alcohol, which he said leads to higher rates of car accidents, domestic and street violence and crime.
The group criticized Mayor John Hickenlooper for opposing the proposal, noting his ownership of a popular brewpub. It also said recent violent crimes — including the shootings of four people last weekend — as a reason to legalize marijuana to steer people away from alcohol use.
Those tactics angered local officials and some voters. Opponents also said it made no sense to prevent prosecution by Denver authorities while marijuana charges are most often filed under state and federal law.
The measure would not affect the medical marijuana law voters approved in 2000. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana laws in Colorado and nine other states would not protect licensed users from federal prosecution.
Also Tuesday, voters in the ski resort town of Telluride rejected a proposal to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by people 18 or older the town's lowest law enforcement priority. The measure was rejected on a vote of 308-332.

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