Youth Pleads Guilty To Drug Related Vandalism

KIRKLAND LAKE - It appears the local drug trade recruits members from an early age. A seventeen-year-old, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pled guilty Wednesday to an act of vandalism he committed on behalf of a local drug operation. On the night of Oct. 9, 2004, the youth in question tossed a glass bottle through the living room window of a Wishman Street residence, said assistant Crown attorney Leonard Kim in his statement of fact to the court. The bottle was stolen from a local mine and contained the chemical ethenethiol, a type of stench gas used to evacuate mines in an emergency. The chemical stained the living room carpet and released a pungent, offensive smell throughout the house. The incident caused $2,050 in damages. Kim said the youth was not acting on his own behalf. "( The youth ) was instructed by local members of the drug trade to throw this material through the window," said Kim. The youth, who accepted the Crown's version of events, pled guilty to an act of mischief under $5,000. Upon sentencing, Justice Robert Fournier scolded the youth for what he called "a very serious act." "I take it very seriously. I am not impressed and I know what this is all about," said Fournier. "The people you were dealing with are serious people." Fournier also cautioned the youth to stay clear of former associates. "The people you've been dealing with may not appreciate how you dealt with this. You may want to look over your shoulders," he said. Fournier sentenced the youth to 18 months of probation, 75 hours of community service and restitution payments of $2,050. The youth is also prohibited from associating with individuals who have a criminal record. Fournier concluded the youth "was getting off easy" and said: "I hope you and I don't have to meet again under these circumstances. Good luck to you."














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County Could Save Millions

The savings could be huge if Wisconsin treated-instead of jailed-small-time drug offenders, a study has concluded. The state, including its counties, could save half a billion dollars a year in the long run, and Rock County could save $18 million a year if low-level nonviolent drug offenders received treatment instead of time behind bars, according to a study released today by an organization called Justice Strategies. Justice Strategies credited legislative leaders-chiefly state Sen. Carol Roessler, R-Oshkosh, and Rep. Gary Bies, R-Sister Bay-for requesting the study, which was commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance. According to its Web site, Drug Policy Alliance is "the nation's leading organization working to end the war on drugs. We envision new drug policies based on science, compassion, health and human rights and a just society in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more." Among the study's findings: - -- Wisconsin's prison population has doubled from 11,000 to 22,000 since 1995. Since 2000, 60 percent of new prisoners are behind bars for substance-abuse offenses, including drunken driving. - -- 2,900 Wisconsin residents with minimal criminal histories are serving time for low-level, nonviolent offenses. The annual cost of keeping them in prison is $28,622 per prisoner. - -- In 1993, the state's corrections budget was about $278 million. By last year, it had ballooned to $1 billion. - -- Wisconsin spends more per capita on corrections than any other Midwestern state. - -- For $8,100 per person, Wisconsin could provide quality substance abuse treatment, case management, probation supervision and support services. - -- While rates of drug use are 7.2 percent for Latinos, 8.1 percent for whites and 8.7 percent for blacks, African-Americans are imprisoned at 37 times the rate of whites in Wisconsin and Latinos are imprisoned at nine times the rate for whites. "The evidence is overwhelming that incarceration is the least effective and most costly strategy for reducing drug use and crime," according to the study's highlight brochure. The study cited findings reached by the Rand Corp.'s Drug Policy Research Center that for people prosecuted on federal cocaine charges "residential drug treatment programs are 15 times more effective at reducing serious crime than mandatory minimum prison sentences." In its executive summary, the "Treatment Instead of Prisons" study says: "There is growing recognition that the state's current approach does little to reduce substance abuse or to enhance public safety because it asks the impossible of law enforcement and corrections: compel addicts to clean up without offering them adequate treatment." The study recommends that the Legislature should increase funding for community-based substance abuse treatment by $22 million per year. "Such an investment would allow the state to make quality treatment available to 3,000 people convicted of felony drug, property and drunken-driving offenses each year, including over 1,100 who would otherwise by prison-bound," according to the study.















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Delta Police Issue Warning On Meth-Laced Marijuana

Delta police have issued a warning about crystal meth-laced marijuana. While police here have not actually seized any tainted marijuana, it is something officers are hearing on the street and wanted to warn the public about. "The police have received information that this is occurring in order to facilitate a new addiction to methamphetamines in those that are using marijuana recreationally or in a social capacity," said media liaison officer Const. Kim Sheridan. Methamphetamines can be consumed in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, snorting, injecting and smoking. "Incorporating meth into a marijuana joint would be a simple matter and could easily be undetected by the unsuspecting user of the altered marijuana," Sheridan said. Sgt. Harj Sidhu, in charge of the department's drug section, said some dealers will mix drugs in order to spark growth in the market. "It doesn't surprise me. It's been done with other drugs to encourage people to get hooked," he said. The Delta police say they are concerned about this as the use of meth, whether or not it's combined with marijuana, can cause extremely serious addiction problems. Supt. Brad Parker is encouraging members of the public to come forward if they have information on meth traffickers in Delta. "Community members who have concerns about suspicious persons or residences in their area may rest assured that all information received will be immediately reviewed and acted upon appropriately," Parker said. Parker was one of the main organizers of a pair of crystal meth community forums in Tsawwassen and North Delta earlier this month. The sessions were well attended as hundreds of students, residents, business owners and health professionals heard from experts, including the province's chief coroner, an emergency room physician, a retired RCMP toxicologist and a police officer whose own children became addicted to the drug. There has been one methamphetamine lab broken down in Delta. If anyone wants more information about methamphetamines, visit the Delta police web site at http://www.deltapolice.ca/.
















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City Works To Keep Crystal Meth At Bay

Crystal meth hasn't invaded the Royal City in a big way - and that's how officials want it to stay. New Westminster city council has approved a recommendation to host a community forum to discuss the creation of a crystal meth task force. The city will also pursue funding from the Union of B.C. Municipalities to further the priorities and action plans developed by the task force. "In New Westminster we have found crack cocaine seems to be the big street level drug, apart from cannabis," said Insp. Dave Jones of the New Westminster Police Service. "What we are looking for is ... a preventative measure and try to keep it out." Jones said crystal meth is a concern because of its cheap price, its long-term effects, such as robbery and violence, and the fact that it targets older teens and young adults. "We do not experience a lot of meth in this community at this time," he told city council on Jan. 16. "We'd like to keep it that way." Coun. Bob Osterman questioned whether the task force should be specifically geared to crystal meth or if it should be aimed at illegal drugs. "Crystal meth is such an odious drug. It is so damaging," said Coun. Lorrie Williams, who had proposed setting up a task force. "I would like to keep it out." Williams believes it's important to get people from various backgrounds to the same table, including Fraser Health Authority, school district, merchants and the city. They can continue the work started by former MLA Joyce Murray, who organized a forum on the issue in November 2004. At the 2005 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, Premier Gordon Campbell announced that $2 million would be available to communities to combat methamphetamine use. UBCM is administering the funding, providing up to $10,000 in seed grants to communities to start Meth Watch organizations, create resource inventories, provide meth awareness training for parents and teachers, build community response and encourage collaborative solutions to crystal meth use and production at the community level. According to a report by the methamphetamine task group of Fraser Health Addiction Services, meth continues to be a problematic drug with significant negative consequences for a percentage of the population who use it. In the past two years, among those who attended addictions services across the health region, the percentage of meth drug users has not increased but remained stable. A staff report to council stated that meth use is low in the general population but youth and the gay community are at risk. "Their study found that in Fraser Health, among those seeking addiction services, for adults, meth was the fourth drug of choice behind alcohol, cannabis and cocaine," said a staff report to council. "For youth, meth is the third drug of choice, behind cannabis and alcohol for both 2003/04 and 2004/05." According to the report, the number of youth who stated they are multiple drug users in 2003/2004 was 52 per cent. That rose to 69 per cent in 2004/05. "In 2003/2004, approximately 30 per cent of youth accessing addiction services stated that meth was one of the drugs they had used or were currently using. In 2004/2005, the percentage had increased minimally, to 31 per cent of youth accessing addiction services," said the report. "In Fraser Health, the average age that youth begin to use meth is between 14 to 15 years of age." Coun. Betty McIntosh, a nurse in the emergency department at Royal Columbian Hospital, said people coming into hospital because of drug use may be under the influence of more than one drug. Hospital staff have witnessed people under the influence of crystal meth. "We are seeing it - I don't believe it is statistically marked down," she said. McIntosh explained that a person coming into the hospital with cardiac symptoms would likely be considered a cardiac case, even if the heart condition was caused by drugs.











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Philippines: Pray For His Honor, The Mayor

The Other Side I am not going to violently react, as most of my colleagues in the bar are probably inclined to do, to the statement of His Honor, the Mayor that most lawyers depend on income from defending drug suspects. To quote the late Tranqui Ortega, "that is to your according, Your Honor." When I was admitted to the bar 31 years ago, I thought I'd be able to finally cross the poverty line. It didn't take long before I realized that I thought wrong. I managed to survive through my modest practice but the only wealth I acquired were, aside from my children, the coins that I saved inside a large glass jar. I lost those, too, to thieves who broke into my office and whom the police could not identify, much less apprehend, to this day. But that is beside the point, which is that I did not and I do not earn my keep from defending drug suspects. Not that there is anything shameful or demeaning about defending a person who is accused of violating the anti-drugs law especially when he is falsely accused, which is, in several instances, the case, by policemen out on a shake-down. All that I am saying is that contrary to His Honor, the Mayor's insinuation, no lawyer will ever starve or be forced to close his office if there are no drug offenders to defend. Your Honor, we are not wealthy like your councilors, who smirk at the money the public are paying them because it cannot even buy them a drink. We believe them when they say that they/you are not in government for the money. What you're there for, we will not make it our business to know, at least this time. But with all due respect, Your Honor, it is very wrong if not grossly ignorant of you to conclude that just because lawyers are not filthy rich like your colleagues in the City Government, they will lose their livelihood if there are no drug cases to handle. Mang-notaryo lang gud tawon diay mi sa City Hall, 'Nyor. I can understand His Honor's contempt for lawyers. A lawyer sued him for closing the south coastal road and a judge ( who is and must be a lawyer ) ordered him to reopen it. In between, they asked so many questions on so many things. His Honor thinks: Do they know any at all? He is all-knowing and infallible; those pests are insufferable. And so when they gathered the nerve to question the propriety of publishing the names of judges and fiscals who have dismissed drug cases, His Honor exploded. You disgusting, miserable lawyers, your poverty disqualifies you to any claim to public service. You're into this only for the money. Don't take offense, companeros and companeras. Let's pray for His Honor. In the words of St. Francis of Assisi, were it not for the grace of God, he could have been you or I.















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Philippines: Cop Caught In Bribe Trap

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation ( NBI ) 7 yesterday arrested a Cebu City policeman in the act of receiving money from the wife of a man caught hours earlier allegedly for drug peddling. PO2 Jaime de la Cruz of the Cebu City Police Office's Security Service Group ( SSG ) was taken into custody while having lunch at a fastfood outlet on Gorordo Ave. The place was meters away from the CCPO headquarters inside Camp Sotero Cabahug. SSG Chief Mariano Natu-el said they did not have an operation scheduled against the drug suspect yesterday dawn. Cebu City Councilor Augustus Pe Jr., chairman of the committee on dangerous drugs, said he recommended to Mayor Tomas Osmena that de la Cruz be removed from CCPO. Before the policeman was assigned to an outpost in Mabini, a mountain barangay, Natu-el said de la Cruz served as a bodyguard of an elected Cebu City official. De la Cruz, however, returned to his mother unit after figuring in a motorcycle accident. With de la Cruz at the time of his arrest was 31-year-old Ariel Escobido of Magsaysay St., Barangay Suba, the alleged drug peddler. He was also with 15-year-old boy identified as "Willy." Willy, according to NBI agent Gregorio Tomagan, hails from Talisay City. De la Cruz reportedly picked him up Monday night and offered to pay him P500 if he buys shabu for him in Barangay Pasil. NBI 7 Director Medardo de Lemos, a lawyer, said they are preparing extortion charges against the policeman for allegedly asking for as much as P100,000 for the release of Escobido. Separate charges for violations of the anti-graft law will also be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman for the Military and other law enforcement offices. Furthermore, a separate complaint for violations of Republic Act 7610, the Anti-Child Abuse Law, will also be lodged against the police. Section 10( e ) of the law penalizes the recruitment and use of children as "middlemen in drug trafficking or pushing" and any other "illegal activities" and provides a penalty of up to 30 years. He will also be charged with violations of RA 9165 after he came out positive in a standard drug test the NBI subjects all its detainees to. Escobido, in an interview with Agent Greg Algoso at the NBI headquarters, said he was taken into custody past 1 a.m. yesterday. He said a boy, later identified to be Willy, went to his house and told him somebody wanted to buy over P1,000 worth of shabu. He denied being a supplier of shabu as he only serves as a runner. Ariel said he went out and got the shabu for Willy, who then brought him to de la Cruz. To his surprise, de la Cruz, who was with two other unidentified individuals, arrested him and placed him inside a blue four-door car and drove away. He said they went by car to the CCPO headquarters. However, they didn't go down. They merely parked for a couple of minutes and then drove away to an eatery and then to a motel at the North Reclamation Area. In a separate interview, Charito, Escobido's 48-year-old mother, said she did not know what had happened to Ariel until a man who identified himself as a policeman came to their house past 1 a.m. and told her that her son had been arrested. The man, she said, left a cellular phone number and instructions that the party on the other end should be called immediately. Charito said she called the number and received instructions go to the CCPO headquarters. However, she was told not to go inside. She was to call the number again as soon as she was at the gate. She finally got to the CCPO headquarters about 4 a.m. and spoke in person with de la Cruz,. who told her that Ariel was arrested for drug peddling. She narrated how de la Cruz told her to raise P100,000 to prevent the filing of a peddling case. She was told that a peddling charge is non-bailable. Charito negotiated for a lesser amount and got the policeman to agree to P40,000 that was to be paid before 10 a.m. yesterday. "I talked it over with Ariel's wife and decided to go to the NBI for help," she said in Cebuano. De Lemos, in an interview, said they organized an entrapment. They waited for the policeman to call again for details like where he wanted the payment to be made. Escobido placed the call. "They woke me up and gave me a cell phone to call my mother. They told me to ask her how much they've raised and when she told me that they've only managed P30,000, the policeman said that amount is acceptable because he felt sorry for all of us," Escobido said in Cebuano. The policeman then gave instructions that the drop be made at the Jollibee outlet near the CCPO headquarters at noon. NBI agents immediately went to Jollibee and, blending in with the other customers, waited for the de la Cruz to arrive. De la Cruz came with Ariel and Willy in tow and sat at a table to wait for Charito to arrive with the money. It was Escobido's common-law-wife, Corazon, who came with the money placed inside an envelope. "He ( de la Cruz ) told my wife to put the money on the table on top of a newspaper and to wait while he counts the money with me and Willy inside the comfort room. On our way there, the NBI agents approached and placed him under arrest," Escobido narrated.















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Philippines: Money Demanded For Release Of Suspect: NBI

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation ( NBI ) arrested a policeman yesterday for allegedly extorting money from the wife of a man, who he reportedly arrested for drug pushing. PO2 Jaime de la Cruz was collared shortly before noon yesterday inside a fast food outlet near the Cebu City Police Office while accepting P20,000 in marked-money used by NBI operatives in the entrapment operation. The NBI operatives led by executive officer Ernesto Macabare conducted the entrapment operation based on a complaint filed by Corazon Escobedo. Escobedo sought the NBI's assistance after de la Cruz allegedly demanded P40,000 for the release of her husband, Ariel, who was picked up by the suspect at 1 o'clock dawn yesterday in their house along Magsaysay St., barangay Pasil. Escobedo said, a few hours after her husband was picked up, a minor came to their place bringing a piece of paper with the cellphone number of a certain James listed on it. The minor told her to call the number. According to Escobedo, she immediately dialed the number 09194152630 and received instructions from James. James, who was later identified as de la Cruz, ordered Escobedo to go to the CCPO headquarters in Camp Sotero Cabahug along Gorodo Ave., where the suspect met her outside the camp at 4 o'clock dawn. Escobedo said de la Cruz demanded from her P40,000 for the release of her husband, otherwise he would file a case for drug pushing. De la Cruz then gave another number for her to contact while she is raising the amount. Some of the text messages of de la Cruz showed that he pressured Escobedo to produce the money before noon yesterday because his superiors might already learn about her husband's arrest. After having raised only P20,000, Escobedo went to the NBI to seek assistance and the entrapment operation ensued. De la Cruz and Escobedo agreed to meet in a fast food outlet near the city police headquarters where he will receive the money and release her husband. Unfortunately for de la Cruz, NBI operatives were already positioned around the area waiting for him to receive the dusted money. Recovered from de la Cruz were the marked-money and his cal. 45 pistol issued by the city government because it bore the city's seal. De la Cruz, however, denied the allegations of extortion. He said, Ariel and the minor, who was also arrested by the NBI, are his assets. De la Cruz claimed that Ariel brought him to the fast food outlet yesterday because there was a drug carrier from barangay Ermita and they were hatching a plan to arrest the person. The NBI would be filing charges for robbery extortion, illegal detention and violation of the Anti-Trafficking In Persons Act against the policeman today . De la Cruz will be charged for illegal detention for allegedly illegally detaining the husband of the complainant and violation of the R.A. 9208 because he used a minor as errand boy to facilitate his extortion activity. The NBI subjected de la Cruz yesterday to a drug test because of suspicions that he is using illegal drugs. If found positive of shabu use, another case for violation of Section 15 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act will be added in the charges against him. Meanwhile, SSG Chief Mariano Natuel, the immediate superior of de la Cruz, said yesterday he had no knowledge about the operation that was being conducted by de la Cruz. He said that the arrested policeman is not one of his operatives because the latter has been assigned at an outpost in barangay Mabini, in the mountains of Cebu City. He said that prior to dela Cruz transfer to the Mabini outpost, the policeman was detailed as a bodyguard of Vice Mayor Michael Rama for two years.

















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Supervisors Are Wrong On Medical Marijuana

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors' decision to sue the state of California in an attempt to overturn Proposition 215, the state's medical marijuana law, is wrong in every possible sense: legally, morally and politically. The American Civil Liberties Union intends to immediately intervene in federal court to protect the many patients who legally use medical marijuana and to uphold the will of California voters who approved Proposition 215. The supervisors are wrong morally because there is simply no doubt that medical marijuana benefits many terribly ill patients 'Ai patients who would suffer, and sometimes die, without it. Research has shown unequivocally that marijuana relieves nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy and harsh anti-HIV drugs used to treat AIDS. It stimulates appetite. It relieves certain kinds of pain that do not respond well to conventional drugs, including the excruciating neuropathic pain commonly suffered by those with multiple sclerosis. In a 1999 study commissioned by the White House, the prestigious Institute of Medicine concluded, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety 'Ai all can be mitigated by marijuana." The evidence has continued to accumulate since then, with new studies documenting benefit in patients with multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and other painful conditions. The county's proposed suit is wrong legally as well, stemming from a misunderstanding of the so-called "supremacy clause." Contrary to popular misconception, it simply is not true that federal law always trumps state law so as to require that state laws must march in lockstep with federal statutes. In fact, the U.S. Constitution set up a system of "dual sovereignty," which limits federal power over the states. This system has been upheld in a long line of U.S. Supreme Court cases. In the 1997 case of Printz v. United States, the high court stated, "The Federal Government may not compel the States to implement, by legislation or executive action, federal regulatory programs." In plain English, this means that while the federal government can ban medical use of marijuana if it chooses, it cannot force states to do the same. And it cannot criminalize the actions of states such as California that choose to allow medical marijuana under state law. One source of confusion on this point may be last June's Supreme Court decision in the medical marijuana case called Gonzales v. Raich. While some have mistakenly suggested that Raich nullified state medical marijuana laws, in fact, the court simply maintained the status quo as it had been since Proposition 215 was passed by voters in 1996: Proposition 215 protects medical marijuana patients under state law, but does not give them immunity from possible prosecution under federal marijuana laws. While this situation is in some ways frustrating, one thing is beyond argument: the Raich decision did not strike down Proposition 215 or any other state medical marijuana law. That isn't just my opinion. It's the conclusion drawn by attorneys general and other top officials in all 10 medical marijuana states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. For example, Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath stated simply, "We still have a valid law." Nothing has happened to change that conclusion. Finally, the Board of Supervisors' decision to attempt to overturn Proposition 215 is wrong politically. It will waste county resources on a pointless and futile war on the sick that San Diego County voters didn't ask for and do not want. County voters supported Proposition 215 when it was on the ballot, and every indication is that support has increased since then. Statewide, the measure received 56 percent of the vote, and a January 2004 Field Poll found that support had increased to a whopping 74 percent. In San Diego County, a poll conducted by Evans/McDonough Company revealed that 67 percent of voters support Proposition 215, 70 percent said the county "should follow state law and issue medical marijuana ID cards to qualifying patients," and 78 percent agreed with the statement "The San Diego County Board of Supervisors should not be spending taxpayer money suing the state to try to overturn California's medical marijuana law." The supervisors should immediately resume implementation of the medical marijuana ID card program and drop its doomed lawsuit. They have no mandate to pursue this wrongheaded action, nor to circumvent the will of California voters. Their proposed suit can only make San Diego a laughingstock once it is thrown out of court, as it inevitably will be.












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Lake Worth Seeking Firefighter Drug Tests

Union Urging Stronger Options For Rehabilitation Lake Worth The protracted contract negotiations between Lake Worth Fire-Rescue and the city has made public a sensitive and seldom- discussed issue gripping fire departments in Palm Beach County and across the nation: recreational drug use by firefighters. Lake Worth officials have insisted its fire department adopt a random alcohol and drug testing policy for firefighters in its next three-year contract. City officials have proposed a testing program similar to those already approved by the Lake Worth Police Department and the city's other public-safety agencies. Under the city's proposal, employees who test positive for alcohol or drugs would be required to complete a city-administered rehabilitation program. Employees would be fired following a second positive test. The chief negotiator for the Professional Firefighters/Paramedics Union of Palm Beach County says there are concerns about the prevalence of drug use among firefighters and people in other high-stress, public-safety jobs and has asked Lake Worth to adopt a testing program that encourages employees to come forward to admit drug problems. Joel Brier, a Palm Beach County firefighter for 23 years and executive vice president of fire union Local 2928, has proposed a program in which firefighters would not be penalized if they voluntarily came forward to fight an addiction and enter rehabilitation. Under that scenario, a firefighter would not be fired automatically following a second positive test, Brier said. The 62 employees of Lake Worth Fire- Rescue have been working without a contract since Oct. 1. "We don't believe that's a fair way to treat an employee who steps up and wants to get help," Brier said. "[The city] has said that we're refusing to get drug tested, and that's not true. We just want a program that encourages people to get help." Allan Sirmans, a labor attorney and the lead contract negotiator for the city, said the union's drug-testing proposal isn't strong enough. "They've talked about a firefighter having an unlimited ability to turn themselves in for rehab without consequence," Sirmans said. "That's basically no drug policy at all." Brier, 50, said firefighters sometimes fall into a cycle of drug addiction because of the job's demands. While conceding he had no statistics to back it up, Brier estimated 15 percent to 20 percent of public-safety employees nationwide have used or continuously use drugs.But he said that drug use only affects work performance in a "small percentage" of cases. "In no way do we condone drug use, but firefighters are like anyone else, they can have problems," said Matthew Willhite, a Palm Beach County firefighter and union official. "You don't just turn your back on someone who has a problem." Drug use is a subject Brier said is close to his heart because of his history with addiction as a young firefighter. Brier said he was able to kick the addiction after years of counseling. He now assists other firefighters in getting help. "These are people with dangerous jobs," Brier said. "Because of the nature of their work, [public-safety employees] have high levels of personal problems at home. They see violence. They see things like decapitations. The have knowledge about drugs and how to get away with it. It's important we treat drug use as an illness because that's what it is."

Sweep Yields No Drugs

GREAT BARRINGTON - State and local police found no drugs or evidence of them during a surprise search yesterday at Monument Mountain Regional High School, where officers did a sweep of lockers and parked cars with a drug-sniffing dog. Assistant Principal Howard Trombley said it was "excellent" that the dogs turned up no drugs, paraphernalia or residue. Individuals were not searched. "It was time," he said, as he watched a police officer leading a German shepherd through the parking lot. "There has been a perception out there. ... Some kids say there's dealing going on - we don't know if it is at school or in the parking lot. It may be happening off campus." "We're clean," said another school staffer yesterday. The search did not result from a specific investigation, but the results of the search should not leave the wrong impression, two sources said yesterday. "Kids are being smarter, or using other ways of hiding things, or they are not bringing it to school," said a local police officer. "We know ( the school community ) isn't clean." "I would not interpret this to mean there's no drug problem," said Sheela Cleary, director of the South Berkshire Youth Coalition, which surveyed local students about risky behaviors last spring. "Having heard ( the search turned up nothing ), I don't think for an instant that the problem has lessened or changed in the community," she said. "It's a community-wide issue, and this is what the coalition is focusing on. ... It's no doubt there are drugs in school; but at this day and time, there were not." Principal Marianne R. Young could not be reached yesterday for comment, and Great Barrington Police Chief William R. Walsh Jr. was also unavailable. However, he was at the high school earlier with state police. A student survey of middle and high school students at Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire Regional School Districts, the results of which were released last fall, pointed to drug activity on school campuses. That survey and other factors spurred parents and students to raise their concerns and comments, said Trombley. A column written in the Berkshire Record in recent months, purportedly authored by a student who wrote about drugs in school, upset some students, parents, school staff and community members. The column angered some students, who responded by making a mocking poster, which extracted some of its most egregious accusations, parents said. The school was "locked down" after classes began yesterday, and parents who saw police cars outside while dropping off their children were worried. One parent, who heard about the police and dogs at the school, said he was distressed that an emergency was under way inside. "It was alarming," he said in a call to The Eagle. Another parent, who asked not to be named, was unhappy with the "overkill" approach, calling it a "military-like situation." "I'm surprised that the school administration hasn't reached out to parents to have a conversation, dialogue or something before turning to these extreme measures," she said. "I think you should first try to deal with it as a community." Weekly e-mails about school activities and schedules, sent by the principal to parents, have not made mention of concern about drugs at school, the parent said. She said she dropped her son off late yesterday, and he was locked out of the school until police left. Hallway lockers were searched while school wings were "locked down." Students were required to stay in their classrooms. In the student survey, 25 percent of students reported being offered drugs at school. Forty percent reported knowing of the two-year mandatory jail term for dealing drugs on school property or within 1,000 feet of a school. The survey combined results from both school districts and those results were made public. However, results for the two individual schools were made available only to school administrators. There has also been extensive publicity in the past year about controversy sparked by a Great Barrington drug investigation that led to the arrests of 18 young people, a number of them Monument Mountain students or graduates. Most are facing the mandatory minimum jail term if convicted; the charges against them stem from drug sales in the Taconic parking lot in Great Barrington, which is within 1,000 feet of a preschool and the former Searles Middle School. Marijuana, cocaine and illegal pills were allegedly being sold. The Monument Mountain police sweep came about at the request of the school and the local police department, he said. He did not rule out that some students suspected a search at some point. In the parking lot around 9:30 yesterday, a state police officer with a German shepherd search dog circulated among the cars in the parking lot where many students park for the school day. State police who supervised yesterday's search could not be reached to discuss the search.

Constitution Eroded By Roberts, Now Alito

The same Supreme Court justices who decided in June 2005 that terminally and seriously ill Americans cannot use cannabis to help them stay alive have now ruled that it's OK for Oregon physicians to prescribe drugs to help terminally ill people die. Ironically, if all the reefer madness lies were true and marijuana could be used to hasten death rather than manage suffering, it would, apparently, have the blessings of the Supreme Court justices. The ruling by justices that the federal government overstepped its bounds in attempting to overturn Oregon's assisted suicide law is appropriate. But the dissenting rulings show that rather than consistently upholding the Constitution and traditional American values like compassion, the Supreme Court seems to be content to take a piecemeal approach that is neither constitutional nor compassionate. Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the minority in the Oregon case and Bush's other choice, nominee Samuel Alito, would likely have done the same. With Alito apparently on the way to confirmation, Americans should get used to seeing what's left of our Constitution dwindle. Gary Storck, Madison
















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Methadone Stigma Wrong

For years I have suffered chronic back pain due to nerve damage and have been prescribed many different pain medications that did not help. The pain clinic suggested I try methadone. I immediately said no. I did not want to be considered a junkie. After much discussion, I decided I had no other choice but to go with their advice. The first time I took a methadone pill I expected to get a high but I did not. The stigma of methadone is wrong. Because of the stigma and association of methadone users, people have quickly condemned those who do use it. The clinic opening up in Vancouver should not be opposed. Those going there should be encouraged as they are trying to get their life back on track. I get my methadone by prescription. It is like taking an aspirin but a lot safer as there is no long-term physical damage with the use of it. For those wanting to know more about methadone, do research on the Internet . You will find it is not a recreational drug. L.E. Rick Withers Vancouver















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US Agents Catching Cash At Border

Officials Intercept Currency Heading South After Narcotics Go North LAREDO - For Mexican smuggling organizations, the border is a two-way street. Drugs, people and other contraband move north. The money moves south. In the last three years, customs agents have seized more than $20 million in currency at the eight ports of entry from Brownsville to Del Rio - roughly one-fifth of the value of the bulk cash seizures the agency made nationally. While U.S. drug agents have long concentrated their efforts on stopping drugs at the border, they're increasingly going after the money, hitting the drug cartels in the pocketbook and providing invaluable intelligence of the trafficking networks. And with stricter controls on bank accounts and wire transfers, trafficking organizations are running piles of cash into Mexico, in cars, trucks, boats, and airplanes and even strapped to the bodies of couriers, federal officials said. "We're seeing bigger amounts of cash coming across, and we're seeing deeper concealment," said Hector Mancha, assistant port director for security at Laredo. "They don't just throw it in a bag in the trunk of their car anymore." In just one hit in February, agents at Laredo found $1.2 million in $20s, $50s and $100s stashed in the rear quarter panel of a 2003 Honda Accord. And Sunday, at the international bridge in Hidalgo 150 miles downriver, three women were charged with bulk currency smuggling when officers found $55,940 in cash hidden in bundles underneath clothing and wrapped in white plastic bags in the back of their 1995 Mercury Villager. They were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.














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Hemp Supporter Gets Candidates Talking

TRURO -- Running as a somewhat controversial independent in this federal election, Rick Simpson usually doesn't have party platforms and policies to tout during political debates. That changed Tuesday when Mr. Simpson, who makes a marijuana-based product he calls hemp oil ( not hemp seed oil ), got to discuss alternative medicines during a live radio debate with other candidates in Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley. "I can't think of a more important issue in this country right now than health care, and hemp will go so far to save so many people," Mr. Simpson of Maccan, Cumberland County, told listeners to Truro's Cat Country 99.5 FM. The candidate said he uses his "natural and non-addictive" oil to treat people free of charge for a variety of ailments, particularly cancer. "We have to stop these political parties from running away from this. The medicine works. I have proof," he said, adding that he has affidavits from patients and offers information on his website. NDP candidate Margaret Sagar said Canada has a very fixed medical model, and pharmaceutical companies have enormous influence with Ottawa. "Cancer has become a multibillion dollar industry, unfortunately, and I would like to see studies on alternatives." Conservative candidate Bill Casey, a vocal opponent of Mr. Simpson's ideas, said he's sure there is plenty of research being done on hemp oil, and pharmaceutical companies would be analyzing it if there were an opportunity to make a profit. "I believe Mr. Simpson believes what he says," Mr. Casey said. "I don't agree with him. I don't agree with him either that marijuana is not addictive. I think it's addictive and it's dangerous." On the other hand, Mr. Casey said, the beauty of Canada's political system is that Mr. Simpson is able to present his case as part of a federal election campaign. Green party candidate Bruce Farrell said the issue involves thinking outside the box and looking at cost-effective holistic medicines and alternative treatments. "Everyone knows what they're paying to the pharmaceutical companies," he said. Liberal Gary Richard said if there is value in Mr. Simpson's remedy then Health Canada, not pharmaceutical companies, should be studying its merits "and not whether it can be profit-centred for any mega-corporation." The 90-minute debate, the final one of at least four held in the riding in the past couple of weeks, covered a variety of topics, including immigration, pesticides, pensions, youth violence, social programs, tax cuts and health care.










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SHABU SNEAKED INTO THE COUNTRY THROUGH AIRPORTS, SEAPORTS - AIDSOTF

The Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force ( AIDSOTF ) is strengthening ties with its foreign counterparts to prevent drug syndicates from sneaking shabu finished products into the country through airports and seaports. AIDSOTF chief Director Marcelo Ele Jr. admitted that drug syndicates have shifted their shabu laboratories elsewhere and are now sneaking their finished products into the country through airports and seaports. "We are coordinating with our foreign counterparts to prevent drug syndicates from dumping their illegal products in the country," said Ele. AIDSOTF operatives are also dispatched to airports and seaports to monitor shabu shipments. Ele said they are also closely monitoring importers of precursors and chemical ingredients for the manufacture of ketamine, which is fast becoming acceptable to young drug users. Since its inception in 2003, AIDSOTF busted 49 shabu laboratories and warehouses and confiscated at least P3.8 billion of shabu and raw materials. Ele said his men were presently shadowing three known big-time drug traffickers believed behind the continued presence of shabu in the streets of Metro Manila and other parts of the country. He refused to elaborate though so as not to jeopardize the ongoing follow-up operations. While AIDSOTF is intensifying its effort to reduce the supply of shabu in the country, Ele said they are also trying to reduce the demand for illegal drugs by visiting schools and workplaces to educate students and employees on the dangers of prohibited drugs. "We are touching base with school officials, community and religious groups and non-government organizations to keep our children and workers away from the influence of shabu and other drugs," he said. Ele also recruited lawyer Lyra Valera to strengthen the AIDSOTF legal front against drug syndicates. "We want arrested drug pushers to rot in jail, so we fortified our legal team and hired Valera," said Ele, noting that the lady lawyer volunteered to accompany AIDSOTF agents during surveillance and actual anti-drug operations. Valera would coordinate with the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) to see to it that arrested big-time drug traffickers would get convicted. The AIDSOTF, Ele said, would intensify its livelihood programs to keep workers away from marijuana plantations, especially in the Cordillera region.

Drug War Fuels Crime

To the editor: Regarding your Jan. 5 editorial, "Medical marijuana," not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in need, but adult recreational use should be regulated. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a cost-effective alternative to a never-ending drug war. As long as marijuana distribution is controlled by criminals, consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs like methamphetamine. This "gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy. Given that marijuana is arguably safer than alcohol -- the plant has never been shown to cause an overdose death -- it makes no sense to waste tax dollars on failed policies that finance organized crime and facilitate hard drug use. Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to think the children are more important than the message. Robert Sharpe, Arlington, Va., The Writer Is A Policy Aanalyst For Washington, D.C.-Based Common Sense For Drug Policy.

Medical Marijuana Argument Makes Little Headway In Illinois

In Southern Illinois, the medical marijuana debate is just getting started. Only a handful of local residents apparently even know the names of Rep. Larry McKeon ( D-Chicago ) and Sen. John Cullerton ( D-Chicago ), the two Illinois state representatives who are strong supporters of medical marijuana legislation. Even at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where hundreds of students support the legalization of the drug, groups that lobby for medical marijuana laws have been slow to push the issue. Michael Steelman, a 27-year-old Edwardsville resident and a member of the National Organization for the Reform of Medical Marijuana Laws, believes there is a bright future for medical marijuana. He also believes that future might still be more than a decade away in Illinois. "I don't think anyone would accuse this area of being too progressive," Steelman said. "Most people won't even talk about the issue around here. They are terrified of a plant." The benefits of medical marijuana are well documented, according to the Illinois Nurses Association, a group with more than 6,000 members. The nurses have endorsed a number of efforts to get medical marijuana legalized, pointing to patients who use the drug to cope with nausea and chronic pain. The Illinois Nurses Association supports therapeutic marijuana use for patients who suffer from AIDS, cancer, and other debilitating diseases. The nurses say that marijuana can help patients stay on their medications, boost their appetite, and help to ease their pain. There are now 11 states that have legalized medical marijuana, and representatives from NORML believe that Illinois is lagging behind the national trend. NORML says officials from Southern Illinois are generally not sympathetic to the issue. The organization ranks members of Congress in their efforts to support the reform of marijuana laws. Rep. Jerry Costello ( D-Belleville ), who represents the 12th district, received a ranking of negative 3, the lowest possible. So did John Shimkus ( R-Collinsville ), who represents the 19th district. Up north, U.S. Reps. Danny Davis ( D-Chicago ) was given a rating of 11. Janice Schakowsky ( D-Park Ridge ) took the highest possible rating of 16. Both legislators have spoken out in their support of medical marijuana. At the state level, McKeon, a respected Democrat in the House of Representatives, stood up in front of his colleagues last year to present House Resolution 398. The bill would have created a commission to study the benefits of legalizing medical marijuana. Instead, the legislation never made it out of committee and therefore was never discussed by the House. In the state Senate, Cullerton found a similar fate for his Senate Resolution 256, a bill that also sought to create a commission. The legislation went to the Senate Rules Committee, where it stalled in May of 2005. Again, the bill never came up for discussion in front of a full Senate. "You hear stuff like that, and it's extremely discouraging," Steelman said. "Our representatives in Congress think it's too dangerous of an issue to even touch. Medical marijuana is not dangerous." Across the Mississippi River, NORML of St. Louis is putting its lobbying efforts into full gear. The group holds monthly meetings, launches letter-writing campaigns to representatives at the local, state, and federal level, and puts on an annual parade to raise awareness. The group even has a "Hempmobile" to spread the message of reform. During the first Saturday of May, NORML sponsors the "Million Marijuana March to the Arch." The event helps bring in new members and sparks many lobbying efforts for the reform of marijuana laws. Dave Kelewae, a recovering marijuana addict, believes that reform is needed. He just doesn't know when that reform will arrive. "Something needs to happen, because the sooner we start admitting that marijuana is out there, the better off we are going to be," Kelewae said. "We can't keep ignoring the issues of medical marijuana and the reform of laws. We need to wake up."

ORTIZ: GOVERNMENT PASSING RESPONSIBILITIES TO LOCAL SHERIFFS

If border law enforcement isn't broken, it's about to be, U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz told the Rio Grande Valley Law Enforcement Chiefs Association Friday. The 23-year congressman and former Nueces County sheriff spoke to the group during its monthly meeting at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, began his law enforcement career in 1964 with his election as constable in Robstown. "The landscape has changed drastically in the last few years," he said, describing how police in the Valley now face different problems than those he saw as Nueces County sheriff and were expected to fight organized crime, the drug war and illegal immigration, using local resources. "What I see, and it's very disturbing, is that the federal government is passing on its responsibilities to you, and I don't think that's fair," he said. Calling the Border Patrol "completely overwhelmed" by the lack of space for its detainees -- some 19,000 beds nationwide -- a growing number of other-than-Mexicans, or OTMs, and inadequate staffing, Ortiz said the agency sometimes knew who it had caught, sometimes not. "I think that the justice system is completely overwhelmed. I think that if it's not broken now, it's partially broken, and we need to do something to fix it," he said. Noting the United States was fighting simultaneous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ortiz suggested the Bush Administration do more to secure the nation's own "completely open" borders. "We know there are terrorism cells in the United States. That's no secret. They're here," he said. Ortiz, however, noted the fiscal restraints of a deficit budget, a "me-too" attitude of states seeking part of the Homeland Security largesse, prosecutors with a crushing caseload and the attitude that South Texas ends with San Antonio. "We came here to tell you that we want to help you," he said. "You have a hard job ahead of you, but we're with you." Ortiz also blasted the Department of Homeland Security's priorities and communication. "The right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing," he said, noting that more preparedness money went to Wyoming than to Houston. Ortiz spoke of attending a terrorism seminar in which no one from the nation's intelligence and law enforcement agencies knew about the Mara Salvatrucha gang. Any border police chief certainly would know about the violent gang. "Now we know that there's a serious flaw in communications. We need to correct that," he said. Among the problems in communication, Hidalgo County emergency management coordinator Oscar Montoya said, was a list of pre-approved equipment that had left local law enforcement agencies and first responders with gear but not necessarily what they really needed. Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia agreed. "We're on the same page regarding homeland security," he said of his Valley counterparts and Ortiz. "All the time, we're looking for =85 more resources. On a related note, Ortiz said he opposed the proposed wall along the border, which some Mexican media have dubbed the "wall of shame." "We have to look for methods with more imagination," he said in Spanish. "I don't think the wall is going to help us." Switching to English, he said: "Mr. Bush, bring that wall down."

DO YOU DARE? BMS DARE PROGRAM ASKS COMMUNITY HELP NAMING NEW DRUG DOG

Students participating in the Brewton Middle School DARE ( Drug Abuse Resistance Education ) program are calling on everyone in the community to help them choose the name of the new Brewton Police Department's drug-sniffing canine. After the previous dog died of natural causes, Brewton Police Chief Monte McGougin asked Brewton City Council members with help purchasing a new drug dog. Chief McGougin was given the go-ahead to purchase the new canine several sessions ago. DARE was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles. On the official DARE Web site, it says that the program is now being implemented in nearly 80 percent of the nation's school districts and in more than 54 countries around the world. DARE is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives. According to officers, the male German Shepherd has been in Pensacola going through rigorous training. He will officially begin duty in two weeks after training is complete. Lt. Feast Broughton, who is the DARE officer, has been teaching the program at the middle school for 11 years. He, along with handler and Officer Jason Yoder, will use the new dog during routine drug searches in the city and within the school yards during random drug searches Chief McGougin implemented this year. The dog will also be taken to all of the classrooms participating in the DARE program so that the kids will get to know the newest member of the police department. According to Broughton, students in the BMS DARE program have been working tirelessly and competing against each other with the hopes that their chosen name for the dog will be picked by members of the community. The six classes have come up with six different names. The kids in each class are asking community members to help them name the new drug dog. "The one that gets the most votes wins," Broughton said. He added that the kids have been asked to "campaign hard" for their dog's name to win. The following six names are the ones the kids have chosen. Help the BMS DARE classes choose from the following: * Max * Smokey * Buddy * Chico * Tracker * Charlie Everyone is asked to clip out a form that will run Jan. 8 to Jan. 15 and can return the form to The Standard, or go online at www.brewtonstandard.com and choose the best name. The last day to vote for the winning name will be Jan. 16 and the new name will be announced in the paper on Jan. 18.

CRIME STOPPERS TO PAY FOR 3 ADDITIONAL RCMP OFFICERS

The local RCMP detachment is getting private funding to help pay for three new officers and will dedicate those officers to working with the new contributor: Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers. It's a deal that both Crime Stoppers and RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon said is unique in Canada. A fund-raising committee has agreed to cover the estimated $240,000 per year for its portion of funding the new cops for at least the next two years. McKinnon said the officers will be assigned to either the drug squad or property crimes section but will be dedicated to following up on Crime Stoppers tips. "They are funding them and I promised them we will not remove them," McKinnon said. He received immediate approval from his superiors, saying deputy commissioner Bev Busson was "very, very supportive." "I think it's great. They have a vision to see what we can do to make our community safer for the future," McKinnon said. Vern Nielsen, who will spearhead the fund-raising effort, says his board felt it was important to ensure that tips they receive are actually being addressed. In an agreement with various levels of government, Crime Stoppers will pay 70 per cent of the roughly $120,000 it costs per year for an officer ( including car and gear ). The plan is to keep it going for two to three years and hopefully the government will begin funding the operation. He said part of the longer term strategy is to show what officers dedicated to following up on tips can bring. They will report regularly on their stats, Nielsen said. McKinnon said two officers will be dedicated to the drug squad and a third moved into property crimes. He said he wants them to focus on marijuana grow operations.

STATISTICS SHOW MARIJUANA MOST COMMON DRUG

While the Caribbean continues to be an important area for the trans-shipment of drugs due to its geographical location, with the designer drugs such as amphetamines and ecstasy increasing in trafficking, the most commonly used drug within the region itself is marijuana. Information gathered from a Drug Abuse Epide-miological Surveillance System Project conducted among the secondary school students in the Caribbean, revealed that the prevalence of marijuana ranked as high as over 25 per cent for St. Lucia and over 20 per cent for Barbados and Grenada for lifetime use. For annual use, the statistics revealed that there was over 15 per cent prevalence in St. Lucia and over ten per cent in Barbados and Grenada. The various studies also found that more males use this drug than females especially in Bar-bados, St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. There is also a concern about the amount of children under the age of ten that are using these drugs, Tessa Chaderton-Shaw, Manager of the National Council on Substance Abuse ( NCSA ) said. She was speaking at the workshop on the Pharmacology of Drugs, held yesterday in the Harcourt Lewis Training Room at the Barbados Public Workers Co-operative Credit Union Ltd. Although there have not been any studies conducted in primary schools, the NCSA plans to conduct studies in the future. Meanwhile, they are actively involved in drug awareness programmes in some of the secondary schools and would like to expand to work with other schools. The most prominent of these is the Peer Support Programme that teaches life skills and guides students in making the right choices. They also offer educational programmes at the primary level and assist in other initiatives like drug rehab at the prison, providing counselling for addicts and their families, training teachers and policy development. Chaderton-Shaw also said that they needed to find multiple ways of delivering the message of the dangers of drug and alcohol use and abuse, as talking may not always be the most effective method. As a result, the organisation is trying to deliver the message through various forms of music, since children naturally gravitate towards this form of entertainment. However, while the NCSA remains committed to the fight against drug abuse, they need assistance from other stakeholders such as school principals, parents, medical associations such as the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners ( BAMP ) and other key stakeholders. Chaderton-Shaw is also calling for an increase in permanent staff at the organisation. Currently they have two staff working with the secondary schools, one with the primary schools and two with the community. There is also a high prevalence of cigarettes, with countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Suriname, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines having the highest lifetime usage. Like marijuana, more males use this drug than females with the difference in the amount of male versus female users increasing in places like Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Lucia. Among club drugs, alcohol is the most common with St. Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grena-dines, and Trinidad and Tobago having the highest prevalence rates. Again, more males use alcohol than females. Ironically, the surveys showed that while young persons know about the dangers of drug use, they still continue to use them due to peer pressure, rebellion and curiosity.

SERIES TO LOOK AT DRUG USE AND SALES ON OU CAMPUS

In the next several issues, The Athens NEWS will delve into the secret life of drugs, drug users and drug dealers on and around the Ohio University campus. From the legal to the forbidden, from one-time users to hardcore addicts, from all angles of this underground community, we will explore what it means to be a part of the subversive world of drugs in Athens. Due to the illicit nature of the topic, we have protected the identities of many of our sources by withholding their names from this series. In return, they have given us a candid look at what it's like to be a part of the OU drug culture. According to the Ohio University Police Department, 208 people were referred to University Judiciaries for drug violations last school year. An additional 41 were arrested for drug-related offenses. Richard Russell, a lieutenant with OUPD, said marijuana is by far the most prevalent illegal drug on campus. Because of this, The Athens NEWS has decided to take a deeper look into the drug by examining "pot" dealers separately from their consumers. While Russell said it's "very rare" that the OUPD encounters users of other drugs, our reporters have found students who use illicit drugs such as cocaine and proscribed prescription drugs such as OxyContin. Finally, we will take a broader look at a number of other drugs, such as Rohypnol ( the "date-rape" drug ), methamphetamines and "study drugs" such as Ritalin and Adderall. Russell said that looking at sheer numbers, alcohol abuse is a much bigger problem at OU than illicit drug use. "But drugs themselves are never a minor a problem when you have them," he said. A 2004 study of college students released by the University of Michigan found that more than a third had used marijuana at least once in the previous year. More than half had tried it in their lifetimes. The study found that nearly 28 percent had tried an illicit drug other than marijuana, including ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines. Athens County Prosecutor C. David Warren maintained that drug use in the county is a "huge" problem. He said at least 60 to 70 percent of the cases he prosecutes on a regular basis involve drugs in some way. Often, Warren said, drug users will commit crimes by either driving impaired or stealing to support their habits. As opposed to the high number of marijuana users on campus, Warren said a recent influx of the painkiller OxyContin has moved to the top of the list of the most-abused drugs in the county. But most of the people who end up in local court are Athens residents, not OU students, Warren said. Most students who are caught with drugs on campus are sent to University Judiciaries rather than local court. The sale of any narcotic including marijuana is considered an A-level offense at Judiciaries, meaning penalties could be as serious as suspension or expulsion. While possession of most illegal drugs is also considered an A-level offense, possession of small amounts of marijuana is a B-level, less-serious offense, according to Judiciaries. Of all the cases heard by Judiciaries last school year, a little more than 1 percent led to suspension or expulsion; rather, most students were put on academic probation, with smaller numbers receiving a "reprimand" or having their cases dismissed. According to a local attorney who handles student drug cases, a student who's caught selling a bag of pot probably won't go to prison if he or she doesn't already have a significant criminal record. However, such an arrest isn't likely to happen unless police have already taken enough interest in the student as a possible dealer to set up a drug buy by an undercover agent. And in that scenario, a felony conviction for drug dealing is likely. OU may also expel or suspend the student, and can do so even before he or she is arraigned on the criminal charge. Except in a few cases, the felony conviction will also be there on the student's record for any future university or employer to see. In this issue and in subsequent editions of The Athens NEWS, we will examine these details as we further explore the drug culture at OU from the people who know best.














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http://pass--drug--test.blogspot.com/2005/07/parents-angry-over-school-drug-policy.html

PHARMACISTS CLAMP DOWN ON METH INGREDIENTS

PHARMACISTS CLAMP DOWN ON METH INGREDIENTS Manitobans will have to depend on the good will and good judgment of pharmacists to help stop the illegal use of pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in the highly addictive street drug crystal meth. The Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association yesterday unanimously ratified amendments to provincial Pharmaceutical Act regulations. Pseudoephedrine will be reclassified as a Schedule 2 substance, which limits its sale to a maximum of 3,600 milligrams at the time of purchase -- or two containers, depending upon the size. "It's sufficient medication to cover any acute symptoms, and enough medication for short-term therapy." said MPHA President Gary Cavanagh. As well, pharmacists will be required to speak directly with customers about their conditions or symptoms. "Pharmacists are trying to get information for what product might best remedy the situation," Cavanagh said. In 2005, the provincial government reclassified all single entity pseudoephedrine products as drugs, and limited their sale to pharmacies. Cavanagh admits that nothing is stopping customers intent on using the drug for illegal purposes, but says repeat individuals will raise warning flags. "The pharmacist is under no obligation to sell the product. But there are honest human beings that have genuine needs. There's a huge percentage of the population that needs these drugs." [sidebar] FACT BOX The cold and flu products that will only be sold behind the counter at a pharmacy starting Jan. 15 include: * Drixoral ND long-acting tab * Benylin D for Infants * Sudafed Decongestant Children's Chewable Tablet * Sudafed Decongestant Extra Strength Tablet * Non-drowsy Regular Strength Contac Cold 12-hour * Triaminic Pediatric Oral Cold Drops -- 7.5 mg/0.8 ml

COMMUNITY PROTESTS METH PROSECUTION OF INDIAN STORE OWNERS

DECATUR, Ga. - Calling federal drug charges against dozens of south Asian convenience store owners racially biased, several hundred people rallied Sunday for an end to prosecution in what federal agents have dubbed "Operation Meth Merchant." In June, 49 people and 16 corporations, most of them in northwest Georgia, were charged with supplying everyday items - from antifreeze to cold medicine - to informants who claimed they were using the products to make methamphetamine. In all, 44 of the 49 convenience store clerks and owners charged in the sting were Indian and many shared the same last name, Patel. Charges in several of those cases have been dropped, others have resulted in guilty pleas and some have still not gone to trial. Supporters of the accused, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say the sting was rife with problems. They say several defendants were not even in the country at the time they are accused of illegally selling the ingredients and that informants used obscure drug slang, which the clerks, some of whom speak limited English, did not understand. "We are not coming from a criminal background," said Upendra Patel, president of Georgia's Asian-American Convenience Store Association. "We have thousands of years of culture and civilization and we do not know what this drug is about. Putting some innocent people behind bars is not going to solve the drug problem." Sunday's rally was held in the parking lot of a strip of mostly Indian-owned shops and restaurants in this city just east of Atlanta. Many speakers spoke in Indian dialects, and the crowd held signs reading "Stop the Prosecution" and repeated an Indian civil-rights chant that translates as: "Against every injustice and oppression, we will fight!" Attendees were encouraged to attend a court hearing in several of the cases scheduled for Tuesday in Rome, Ga. McCracken Poston, an attorney for one of the accused companies, said that in one case, a government informant told an Indian store clerk that he needed supplies to "finish up a cook" - slang for making methamphetamine. "They're having to tell the court what that means," Poston said, referring to footnotes explaining the slang in court documents. "But they're assuming that ( the clerks ) know what it means. I think in most cases they had no idea." The ACLU and several other civil rights groups have taken up the cause, investigating whether police and prosecutors selectively enforced the meth prosecution by targeting retailers with Indian surnames. Federal prosecutors say race and ethnicity had no role in their investigation. The say Meth Merchant was aimed at curbing a deadly problem in a region that has been inundated with the drug in recent years. "The United States Attorney's Office prosecutes cases based on the evidence and the law, not the defendant's race, ethnicity or last name," Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney David Nahmias, said Sunday in a statement. "We continue working to resolve the dozens of individual cases that are part of the Meth Merchant investigation." Crosby said that attorneys' motions arguing selective prosecution have been thrown out by a magistrate judge in a ruling that was upheld by a district court.

LIGHTS OUT FOR GROW OPS

A local fire fighter was among a group of forward thinkers recently honoured at the premier Lieutenant Governor's Safety Awards in Vancouver for fighting marijuana grow operations. Past president of the Fire Chief Association of B.C. Glen Sanders, along with a team including University College of the Fraser Valley researcher Darryl Plecas and Surrey fire chief Len Garis, was recognized for his role in the project 'Eliminating Residential Marijuana Grow Operations: An Alternative Approach.' "Instead of coming at it from a law enforcement perspective, we wanted to come up with a way to deal with grow ops from a public safety perspective," Sanders said. "A lot of these buildings bypass the hydro meters and as a result are plagued with shoddy wiring, causing danger to the fire fighters and to the public in general." In 2004 while Sanders was