US TX: Column: Reefer Madness: Election Roundup

REEFER MADNESS ELECTION ROUNDUP While election night saw voters call for sweeping changes in Congress, drug-law reformers were handed a more mixed bag: Three statewide marijuana-law reform initiatives tanked at the polls, while local initiatives in 10 cities across the country sailed through to passage. Notably, in Eureka Springs, Ark.; Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Monica, Calif.; and Missoula, Mont., voters approved municipal initiatives to decriminalize and/or classify minor pot possession and use by adults as the lowest priority for local police. The Eureka Springs "Low Priority" initiative, which pulled in 64% of the vote, was the first-ever marijuana-law reform measure to appear on an Arkansas ballot. On the statewide ballots, however, marijuana reform went -- forgive me - -- up in smoke. In Nevada, voters rejected ballot Question 7 -- the boldest of marijuana initiatives -- which would have legalized the use and possession of up to 1 oz. of marijuana by adults, created a tax-and-regulate scheme with state-licensed pot shops, earmarked a portion of revenue to fund rehab facilities, and stiffened penalties for providing pot to a minor and for driving under the influence. Bold, yes, but also fairly logical if, indeed, the goal of drug control is to reduce easy access and to end the black market for the substance. That's the goal embraced by many Q7 backers -- including a network of state religious leaders, who came out in favor of the initiative, and by the state's largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, whose editorial board endorsed the measure. But in the always bizarre and seemingly disconnected world of the federal drug-prohibition whores in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, any drug-law reform -- except in the direction of the even more draconian -- is baaaad, even when the law in question, like Q7, contemplates a way to more strictly control drug use. Indeed, during a television appearance on a local Las Vegas morning program, ONDCP head drug czar John Walters turned the point of Q7 on its ear, claiming instead that the measure was nothing more than a "Drug Dealer Protection Act." Now, exactly how that would work is completely unclear; the law would only allow adults over 21 to purchase, at most, an ounce of dope at a time from a state-regulated store -- in other words, how any self-respecting drug dealer could possibly hope to stay in business one state-regulated ounce at a time is a complete mystery, especially when buyers could mosey their own butts down to the pot store and do the same. Undaunted by logic, Walters plowed on, telling his TV hostess that under the Q7 tax-and-regulate proposal, an adult dealer could buy an ounce of dope and, without fear of arrest, walk around town with "60 to 80" joints in his pocket, looking to sell 'em - -- undoubtedly to kids! Aside from his apparent affinity for hysterical flights of fancy, there's at least one thing Walters' TV appearance made painfully clear: He's never rolled a joint -- at least, by his 60-to-80-per-ounce rule, not a decent one. In the end, however, just 44% voted for Q7; although backers note that's up six points from 2002, when a similar initiative was on the ballot. As such, it's a safe bet this one will make an encore appearance on a future ballot. In Colorado, statewide Amendment 44, which sought to "equalize" penalties associated with pot and alcohol, earned just 40% of the vote. As in Nevada, A44 backers, the grassroots group Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, faced a good dose of drug-warrior "What about the children!" rhetoric, apparently encouraged by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Back in September, the Boulder Daily Camera got hold of a letter sent to politicos by local DEA agent Michael Moore, from his DEA e-mail address, seeking to hire a campaign manager for an A44 opposition group, reporting that there was $10K available to spend on the effort. The e-mail prompted SAFER Colorado campaign director Mason Tvert to cry foul, arguing that the DEA was overstepping its bounds, possibly in violation of federal law. At first, Denver DEA Special Agent in Charge Jeff Sweetin said the $10K came from private donations, before later proclaiming there was no money, at least not that he'd "ever heard of." Later the DEA tried to scrub the story altogether, saying a private individual sent out the letter using Moore's address without his permission. Sure. Whatever. Finally, voters in South Dakota narrowly defeated the election season's only medi-pot initiative ( officially, Initiated Measure 4 ), by a 52%-48% margin. While the ballot box defeats were surely disappointing to pot-law reformers, there is, perhaps, hope alive with the changing of the congressional guard in D.C. In a letter to supporters, Marijuana Policy Project Director Rob Kampia noted that the change in leadership will obviously mean the ouster of certain reform foes from key committees and, perhaps, the rise to power of more open-minded legislators -- including California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the presumptive first female speaker of the House, who favors protecting the rights of medi-pot patients. Indeed, the long languished federal medi-pot patient protection bill may rise again. Get "Reefer" online: In order to keep you up-to-date on the insanity of the war on drugs, "Weed Watch" -- your source for drug war and drug policy news has a new name -- "Reefer Madness" -- and an expanded online presence. Be sure to check out the continually updated reefer blog on the Chronicle Web site at austinchronicle.com/reefer.

















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US TX: Column: Reefer Madness: Medi-Pot Hysteria Unfounded

Reefer Madness MEDI-POT HYSTERIA UNFOUNDED Despite hysterical claims that the legalization of medicinal marijuana for use by the seriously ill would somehow kick-start a juggernaut of seemingly state-sanctioned drug use and abuse - a tired-ass hand-wringing worry brought, primarily, by your drug war pals at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, starting with Nineties czar Barry McCaffrey - it appears that, a decade after California voters passed the nation's first medi-pot law, the sky has not fallen. In fact, according to a report released last month by the Marijuana Policy Project, a review of medi-pot progress on the 10th anniversary of California's 1996 passage of Proposition 215, it appears that teen pot use in many medi-pot states has remained steady or has actually fallen, that public support for medi-pot laws has remained steady or increased, and that the laws haven't done anything to hinder the ability of law enforcers to bust non-medi-mari tokers. In other words, it appears that McCaffrey's dire pot-hopped predictions - including his over-the-top promise that legalized medi-mari would lead to "increased drug abuse in every category" - were just plain-ass wrong. According to the MPP report, instead of sending a message to teens that pot use is just fine, thank you very much, teen marijuana use in California has actually been on the decline since 1996; the most recent California Student Survey, the state's adolescent drug-use tracking tool, revealed that only 18.7% of ninth graders reported having used pot within the past six months, the lowest level in more than 10 years. Meanwhile, marijuana arrests in California have remained steady, notes MPP; in 2004, the most recent year for which complete statistics were available, some 61,000 people were arrested on pot-related charges, according to state Department of Justice statistics. And despite the continued official inclination to discredit medi-pot laws as nothing more than a backdoor attempt to legalize pot for all, public support for legalized medicinal marijuana has solidified: A national Gallup Poll released in November 2005 reported that 78% support making marijuana legal "for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering" - positional support that would, in fact, broaden medi-mari protections. Because marijuana is considered a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, doctors are actually forbidden to prescribe it; instead, medi-mari users do so only with a doctor's recommendation. ( The entire report can be found online at http://www.mpp.org/. ) ( Get Reefer online: In order to keep you up-to-date on the insanity of the war on drugs, "Weed Watch," your source for drug war and drug policy news, has a new name - "Reefer Madness" - and an expanded online presence. Check out the continually updated Reefer blog at austinchronicle.com/reefer. )
















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US: Web: Guarded Hope for Dope Reform

GUARDED HOPE FOR DOPE REFORM Democrats control Congress, a socialist is in the Senate and the president's approval ratings are in the tank. So it's no surprise that advocates of drug reform are looking forward to a new day -- sort of. Consider this: A bill that would allow sick people to use marijuana might actually pass the House. Of course, it's probably dead on arrival in the Senate, and President Bush would almost certainly stamp it with an override-proof veto. But "at the very least, we'll see some hearings on the issue," predicted Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the pro-reform Drug Policy Alliance. Hearings? Big whoop. Things are looking up in the wake of Election Day, but anyone who expects a major shift in American drug laws is definitely smoking something illegal. "For all the worries about 'San Francisco values' coming into the Congress, ( drug reform ) isn't one that's going to come to the forefront," said Patrick Murphy, a drug-policy expert at the University of San Francisco who worked for the first Bush Administration. Still, proponents of medical marijuana, needle exchange and sentencing reform have learned to be patient. And there's a chance that the election may end up being a good thing for a bunch of people, from pot smokers to crack dealers. Here's a look at what regime change could mean for several types of drug reform. Medical Marijuana Eleven states now allow the use of medical marijuana. ( South Dakota narrowly defeated a medical-marijuana initiative last week, the first time such a statewide ballot measure has failed. ) But under federal law, medical marijuana is illegal, creating an eternal conflict between Washington D.C. and the states. Last year, a bill that would allow the use of medical marijuana failed by a vote of 264 to 161 in the House. With at least 28 new Democrats on board, "there's a good chance that we can get it out of the House," Piper said. "The Senate we're less confident about," although drug reformers now have a new ally in Vermont's senator-elect and self-described socialist Bernie Sanders. The best scenario, according to Piper, is that the bill would pass in a spending bill, and Bush wouldn't want to veto the whole thing. Meanwhile, there's trouble on the state front: counties in California are suing to invalidate the state's medical-marijuana ballot measure, which passed in 1996. Pot for everyone Voters in Nevada and Colorado rejected measures that would have made it legal to possess small amounts of marijuana. "They tried to go too far too quickly," Piper said. "That's probably a lesson for the drug-policy movement." One bright spot for reformers is that 56 percent of Nevada voters opposed the initiative, compared to 61 percent who voted no on a similar ballot measure in 2004. For now, the states have a crazy quilt of laws about possession of marijuana: an ounce -- typically enough for at least 30 joints -- could get you six months in jail and a $2,000 fine in Texas or a $100 fine and no jail time in California. Meanwhile, voters in a number of cities and towns -- now including three in California; Missoula, Montana; and the Arkansas liberal haven of Eureka Springs -- have told local police to make pot busts a low priority. "Public opinion polls suggest there's more acceptance ( of marijuana ) than there was 20 years, even 10 years ago," Murphy said. "The public sees this issue differently, but our connection between elected officials and public opinion is imperfect." The War on Drugs Piper predicted that the new makeup of Congress means "we're not going to have to worry about draconian penalties and bills that infringe on civil liberties." Murphy, the University of San Francisco drug policy guru, suggested Congress could be trying to tie the Bush administration's hands by not allowing an increase in funding for the Drug Enforcement Agency. According to Murphy, it's possible that the DEA won't get a "blank check," and Congress will be "less enthusiastic about new gadgets and providing more money for enforcement initiatives." Sentencing Reform It's possible that Congress will tackle the "100-to-1" disparity that haunts federal law about cocaine possession. Currently, according to a recent Los Angeles Times commentary, a person caught with a briefcase full of 5,000 grams of powder cocaine will get a mandatory 10-year sentence -- just like a person caught with 50 grams of rock cocaine, about the weight of a candy bar. The disparity was to be discussed at a hearing of the U.S. Sentencing Commission on Tuesday. But the fact is that the federal criminal justice system accounts for less than 20 percent of all people imprisoned for violating drug laws, said Jonathan P. Caulkins, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who studies drug policy. And he's skeptical that politicians will make much of a difference in how many people visit the Ironbar Hotel. "Most of what drives incarceration is trends in use and trafficking, not so much who is in power in Washington, so I don't necessarily see a big change because of the election," said Caulkins.















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US NY: Staff Gets Glimpse Into World Of Meth

STAFF GETS GLIMPSE INTO WORLD OF METH GRANVILLE -- The pictures drew collective groans from 180 or so people. They were images of those addicted to crystal meth, their faces covered with sores and their teeth rotting in their mouths. The photos were the most jarring part of a training session Monday at Granville High School designed to educate school staff on the methamphetamine epidemic that has raged in other parts of the country, and may be headed here. Granville school Superintendent Daniel Teplesky said he decided to have the school host the event as part of the district's superintendent's training day after hearing of the event's availability through BOCES. Teplesky said crystal meth has devastated rural areas similar to those found throughout much of Washington County, and he said he hoped the event would let those in the school system know what to look for. "It's something I thought we needed to be aware of," he said. Brought in to increase that awareness were Tim Moon and Patricia Kilgore of Saratoga County's Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council. The educators gave a presentation as part of a federally funded education program known as Meth 360. Moon told those in attendance that rural areas of upstate New York could be "particularly vulnerable" to the drug, since those who manufacture it like to do so in out-of-the-way places to avoid discovery. Program participants were shown common household chemicals that, when cooked in combination with the decongestant pseudoephedrine, can create the highly addictive stimulant. "If you've got a Wal-Mart or Kmart, you've got what you need to make methamphetamine," Kilgore said. They were also told of the drug's street names -- crank, ice, crystal and speed -- and were told that production of each pound of crystal meth results in 5 to 6 pounds of toxic chemicals that seldom are disposed of properly. Moon also showed the picture of a severely burned person who was injured when a meth lab exploded. Those who abuse the drug come from all walks of life, but working moms seemed to be among the biggest user group because it is a stimulant, Kilgore said. Children had been found to be living in close proximity to one out of every three labs, she said. But it was the before-and-after photos of meth addicts that drew the biggest reactions during Monday's session. Those pictured seemed to go from presentable to emaciated and riddled with sores and rotten teeth within months. "It doesn't take long for deterioration to set in -- quicker than it does with other drugs," Kilgore said. Local police have made a handful of arrests related to crystal meth in recent years, most recently finding the remnants of a small meth manufacturing lab at a home in Hampton last December. [sidebar] BY THE NUMBERS methamphetamine labs found in New York state 2003 -- 72 2005 -- 25 2006 ( to date ) -- 18 22 million -- number of meth addicts nationwide 3 million -- number of addicts seeking treatment 65 to 70 -- percentage of meth manufactured in California and Mexico "superlabs" Source: Partnership for a Drug-Free America
















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CN BC: Battle For Bud

BATTLE FOR BUD Legal marijuana users decry federally sanctioned product as weak and pricey The cannabis menu at the Vancouver Island Compassion Society changes daily. On this particular day, clients have a choice of Pochi, Hog, Shishberry, Imposter or Jack Herer. Beneath each name, a brief description of the effects of the variety is provided: strong and heady, reads one; mellow and body buzz, reads another. In addition to supplying medical cannabis buds to about 600 clients on Vancouver Island, the compassion society offers an arrange of cannabis by-products and alternatives to smoking, such as cookies, oral sprays and tinctures, says society director Philippe Lucas. It's the society's variety of products and family atmosphere that brings clients in to his underground operation - that, and the fact that federally-approved legal marijuana is substandard, Lucas says. So it was with great surprise when he heard the federal government awarded a 15-month contract extension worth $2.1 million to Canada's only legal grow-op, just two weeks after it gutted a $4-million fund for research into medical marijuana. The government announced its decision to fund Prairie Plant Systems Inc. to grow cannabis inside an abandoned mine shaft mid-October. "The frustration there is this is a company that really has not worked hard to meet the needs of the end users of this product," Lucas says in a recent interview. While 1,400 Canadians are registered in the medical marijuana program, only 300 order marijuana through PPS. According to Lucas, the government has spent more than $8 million on the PPS production facility. "Now if we divide that over 300 people, we can see what we're growing in Flin Flon, Manitoba is the world's most expensive bud," he says. But PPS president Brent Zettl says public outcry from medical marijuana advocates is a thin disguise for ulterior motives. "It's a cleverly disguised marketing campaign aimed to discredit what we do so they can be the only suppliers." Zettl stands by the PPS product and says the number of users is steadily growing and demand for the product has jumped 80 per cent this year. "Ninety-nine per cent of our patients are repeat customers and the only time they stop receiving our product is, unfortunately, when they've had a medical condition that's gotten worse." Jason Wilcox of James Bay is HIV positive and co-infected with hepatitis C. He recently purchased 300 grams of cannabis from PPS for $1,500 ( plus $90 in PST and GST ). "I'm actually disappointed," Wilcox says. "It's quite a large amount of money for stuff that has stem in it." He depends on cannabis to help him take his anti-viral medications. "When you're sick and have a long-term illness that's terminal, sometimes you have to take medications just to take you medications. You have to smoke cannabis in order to take your medications to keep them down." Zettl says PPS has worked hard to produce a safe and consistent product for end users like Wilcox. But is it strong enough? Adrian Cameron of Esquimalt recently finished a one-year study conducted by McGill University Health Centre on the medical use of marijuana for pain management. To standardize the test, COMPASS study participants like Cameron were supplied with the PPS product. Cameron, who suffers from pancreatitis, has been self-medicating with cannabis for four years, and has been a federally approved user for two years. Prior to participating in the study he used marijuana from a reliable source in Vancouver. He found he had to smoke more PPS cannabis than usual to get the same medical benefits. "I averaged one to two grams in use of the Vancouver product I was getting," Cameron says. "The PPS product, in order to keep stability with my condition, I was using the full 3 grams a day." And it comes down to cost. The PPS cannabis costs $150 for 30 grams, which is comparable to the street value of marijuana and cannabis available from compassion clubs. If Cameron is going to shell out $400 from his meagre $650 disability cheque, he wants the biggest bang for his buck. "The product from VICS is certainly stronger and that translates into having to use less of it," Cameron says. The PPS product has 12.5 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in pot. That percentage is level Health Canada has deemed acceptable based on national averages of THC in marijuana seized by police. Zettl says that's above the national average of nine to 10 per cent, and well above what you'll find on B.C. streets. "I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but... the average grade in British Columbia is seven per cent," Zettl says. But Ted Smith, founder of the Victoria-based Cannabis Buyers' Club of Canada, says it's not an accurate comparison. "He's comparing his average to the average THC content in stuff seized by police, not the average THC content in compassion clubs," Smith says. But the problem here is his compassion club doesn't do its own testing. "It's debatable right, how much THC is in the pot we sell because we don't test it, but I think it's probably 16-17 per cent THC. Well, that five per cent difference is quite substantial to people who are sick." The big selling point for compassion clubs like Smith's are the variety of strains of pot and related products they sell. Currently the Cannabis Buyers' Club of Canada sells 22 different skin and food products and supplies medical marijuana to about 1,900 clients, mostly on Vancouver Island. While Zettl would like to expand the number of varieties his Prairie Plant Systems produces, he's only licensed by the federal government to produce the one strain. Nonetheless, the company points to a return rate of less than one per cent as proof of customer satisfaction. Lucas attributes the dramatically reduced return rate to Health Canada's change in policy, which makes it impossible for clients to obtain a refund once the package has been opened. "Literally it's the equivalent of sitting down for a meal, taking a bite of something rotten asking for another meal, and having the waiter say 'sorry I can't take this back because you've actually tasted it,'" Lucas says. Health Canada first approved the medical use of cannabis in 2001 and in that same year the federal Liberal government under Jean Chretien awarded PPS a $5.7-million contract to grow marijuana for research purposes. In 2003, an Ontario judge ruled that allowing the medicinal use of cannabis without providing access to a legal supply was a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Soon after, PPS started marketing its products to the public. The PPS contract extension was particularly shocking to researchers in light of recent federal spending cuts to the medical marijuana research program. According to information on the Department of Finance Canada website, the government cut research funding because it doesn't need to "tell profession researchers what to study" and listed medical marijuana research as a non-core program. But medical cannabis advocates argue the research program was developed with advice from an expert advisory committee on new active substances - an external body of scientific and medical experts. "It's a frustrating catch-22 because over and over we're going to be told by the government, certainly by this Harper government, that we don't know enough about medical marijuana to make it widely available or to make it available like any other medication," Lucas says. About a million Canadians say they use marijuana for medicinal purposes.














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CN SN: Good Experience With Hemp

GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH HEMP John Ackland heard all the jokes when he decided to try his hand at growing hemp on his farmland. "The first time I grew it around here, I had lots of guys coming into the shop and laughing, 'So, you're growing marijuana, are you?'" he chuckled. "Now it's becoming a more common crop around here, and the jokes are long gone," he said. "People are starting to understand that it's actually a cash crop. Now, my phone bounces off the wall with people asking how they go about getting contracts to grow hemp. So they realize there is potential out there." Commercial hemp production became legal in Canada in 1998, although growers must still be licensed by Health Canada. In 2005, roughly 24,000 acres were seeded to the crop across the country -- over one-third of it in Saskatchewan, equally split between conventional and organic production. The seed from the hemp plant contains an edible oil used for cosmetics and cooking, which has many positive health benefits. It is low in saturated fats, and contains a mixture of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as gamma linolenic acid, a nutraceutical compound. The fibre from the hemp plant is also very durable, and can be used for making clothing, paper and building materials, although this market is not well-developed in North America. Ackland says there are a lot of things farmers should learn about producing hemp before they decide to get into it. "You definitely do not grow hemp without a contract to sell it with a company," he noted. "You can get hung out to dry on it. You can end up with that product for years until there's a shortage in the industry and they put out an advertised call for it." Ackland stated that the buyers from the processing companies also serve as excellent sources of advice for hemp growers. "They just don't turn you loose without any support. They continue to provide you with support along the way, because it is a different crop. It's not like you're growing a different variety of wheat. It's a lot different than that," he said. Ackland says there are plenty of surprises and learning experiences for first-time hemp growers. The height of the plant is something that will astonish most producers. "It grows tremendously fast. It will grow a foot a week. I have plants out there that are six or seven feet tall," he noted. Patience is also an important virtue for hemp growers. "The window of opportunity for seeding it is between May 15 and June 15, and it is much wiser to seed the crop well into June," Ackland stated. "Even though it is listed in terms of days to maturity, that isn't how it matures. It's a photosensitive plant, so if you seed it too early, you just end up with an awfully tall plant." There are no insecticides, herbicides or fungicides approved for use on the crop. "In the spring of the year, you could do a burnoff with Roundup before you seed it, but once you seed it, you're done," said Ackland. "Hemp is a very high nitrogen user, however, and unless you're going organic, you have to put a lot of nitrogen and phosphorous in the ground. Otherwise, you end up with a disaster of a crop." Ackland pointed out that hemp can be very temperamental to harvest, requiring some specialized equipment or modifications to standard implements. "The plant tends to wrap around the shafts of a combine, and it's a very tough fibre. Every time you stop to dump a hopper, you get in the habit of jumping off and cutting hemp off the external shafts of the combine," he noted. "When you take it off, you have to take it off tough. It's not a crop you can go out and combine 150 acres a day, because you couldn't handle the seed coming off. You have to air it down, you have to dry it." Despite these challenges, Ackland says his foray into hemp has been well worth the effort, and he will definitely be continuing. Although it's a fairly new industry with some growing pains, Ackland says the hemp market is expanding, attracting greater interest from farmers. At current prices, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food projects that break-even yields for conventional and organic hemp production are 10 and five bushels per acre, respectively. Ackland estimates his crop yielded 20 bushels an acre this year. "It's the only crop I know of that has a decent profit margin," he said.














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