May 2002

Ashcroft Runs Roughshod Over Oregon's Voters Again (May 31, 2002)
"Even though the U.S. attorney for Oregon generally doesn't prosecute cultivation cases involving fewer than 1,000 plants, the government successfully stole a patient's 2.5 grams of medical marijuana from the Portland Police Bureau, in broad daylight," notes this report from Cannabisnews.com.

Anti-Terror Drugs Get Test Shortcut (May 31, 2002)
"Departing from longstanding practice, the Food and Drug Administration will allow some drugs and vaccines designed to counter biological, chemical and nuclear terrorism to be approved without being tested in people to prove they work," leads in this report from the New York Times.

Debate Over Drug Laws Hits Waterbury Area (May 31, 2002)
Be a part of this debate on drug reform in Connecticut on June 8, 2002.

Still a Steal (May 31, 2002)
Check out the introduction to the new 2002 re-release of Abbie Hoffman's underground classic, Steal This Book.

ACLU Says Rewriting of Domestic Spying Restrictions Gives FBI New Powers Despite Growing Evidence of Analytical Failures (May 31, 2002)
Why is the FBI getting increased powers, when they couldn't responsibly deal with the powers they already had?

Straight Talk (May 30, 2002)
"Yet the Straight model of drug treatment is thriving, with the trend toward "boot camp" style rehab centers growing more and more en vogue and Straight's founders, high-powered Republican boosters Mel and Betty Sembler, wielding enormous influence over U.S. drug policy. Mel Sembler is currently serving as President Bush's ambassador to Italy, and the Semblers serve on the boards of almost every major domestic anti-drug program. They are longtime close associates of the Bush family, and are behind efforts to defeat medicinal marijuana initiatives all over the country. Despite the horrors that have surfaced about Straight's history, they are proud and unrepentant about the program," reports Radley Belko in this surprisingly frank report for FOX News. These are some of the powerful people behind the drive to mandated drug treatment. Scary, isn't it?

Push Is On to Reform Rockefeller Drug Laws (May 30, 2002)
Will there really be reform, or will the destructive prohibitionist policies simply continue in reworked form?

Marijuana Reform Party of New York Focuses on Medical Marijuana in 2002 Campaign (May 30, 2002)
Find out how to help the New York Marijuana Reform Party in their campaign for medical marijuana in the 2002 elections.

War on drugs does more harm than good (May 30, 2002)
"The case of the Schenectady police officer convicted of drug-related corruption is not an isolated incident. This insidious form of institutional corruption stretches from coast to coast and reaches the highest levels." So notes Robert Sharpe, Program Officer for the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington, D.C., in this blunt letter to the editor.

Face recognition kit fails in Fla airport (May 30, 2002)
"Palm Beach International Airport security workers would be racking up heaps of overtime pay dealing with more than fifty false positives daily if their bosses were to install Visionics' terror-busting face recognition gear, the airport administrators have concluded." So reports Thomas C. Green in Washington.

Ex-FBI agent convicted of aiding New England mob (May 30, 2002)
This crooked FBI agent has finally been convicted. What about his superiors who allowed his career to continue for so long?

Cannabis versus Axis of Evil on June 6, 2002 (May 29, 2002)
Nationwide protests are planned at as many DEA offices as can be found. There's long lists of contacts and DEA offices around the country here, as well as background on what the national event is all about.

Court OKs use of religious pot on federal lands, Appellate ruling applies to 9 Western states, territories (May 29, 2002)
"The ruling did not help the defendant in the Guam case, however, as the court said he could be prosecuted for importing marijuana," which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, as Graham Boyd, the attorney from the ACLU handling the case points out in this report.

Raid Victim's Widow to Get at Least $400,000 (May 28, 2002)
"Her husband, John Adams, 62, was shot to death when Lebanon police wrongly burst into the Adams' home in a drug raid in 2000. The officers had intended to raid the house next door," reports Andy Humbles for Tennessean.com. Be sure to read the background article by the editor of drugwar.com about this case.

South Africa- Bono, O'Neill Tour Catches Scent of Marijuana (May 28, 2002)
"The Ford official said the practice was not unusual at a huge industrial plant and indicated there was some tolerance as long as safety was not jeopardised," reports Reuters about this visit to a Ford Motor Co. plant near Pretoria. Would the reaction of a Ford Motor Co. plant representative in the US be so level headed and sensible?

Leaves of Green Medical Marijuana Documentary (May 28, 2002)
Check out this new documentary on the medical marijuana movement, showcasing the participants, the patients, the uses of medical marijuana, and the US government's misguided moves to stamp it all out.

Michigan Town Evacuated (May 28, 2002)
Keep in mind the Bush Administration's brilliant idea to go forward with plans to ship the nation's nuclear waste by train, from every corner of the country, to Yucca Mountain, Nevada, while you read this chilling article from CBS news.

Drinking Up, Lighting Up (May 28, 2002)
Residents of New York City are reporting the amount of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana they consume is on the rise since September 11.

Secret Service warns of Afghanistan e-mail scam ( May 27, 2002)
"The new scam comes from someone claiming to be a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan who has come across a large amount of illicit drug money and needs help getting the cash out of the country," reports Brain Sullivan.

Text of Minneapolis FBI agent's letter to Mueller (May 27, 2002)
Drugwar.com reprints the entire letter here, as it was written by a government employee, paid with our tax dollars, to her government boss, also paid with our tax dollars. Why did FBI Director Mueller immediately put a great big "classified" on this letter? Even worse, why has it taken this agent more than 8 months to write her scathing letter? What's going on here?

Border Dork Wars, Coffee, and September 11: Akha Weekly Journal (May 27, 2002)
How Matthew McDaniel keeps his spirits up with the steady obstacles placed in his and the Akha people's way is a genuine mystery, but you can help. Read his latest updates, then find out how to make donations to this worthy cause.

Hard-Liner Elected in Colombia With Mandate to Crush Rebels (May 27, 2002)
"Because of that [producing 80 percent of US consumed cocaine] and Colombia's increasing instability, the United States has already made it the third-largest recipient of American aid. The assistance is limited to counter-drug operations, but the Bush administration is pushing Congress to drop restrictions so Colombia can use American helicopters and troops trained by American soldiers in direct combat with rebels." These FARC rebels that Álvaro Uribe Vélez has been elected to 'crush' in Colombia are the same ones the former US ally and lackey in Peru, Vladimir Montesinos, sold thousands of machine guns to while collecting $10 million from the CIA while the US government promoted war on FARC.

Homicide Charges Filed Against Peru's Former Spy Chief, 18 Army Officers (May 27, 2002)
This former attendee of the US Army's School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia, the US Army's premier terrorist training facility...oh, hold on, the US doesn't train nor support terrorists, so this recipient of $10 million from the CIA during his service as head murderous extortionist...I mean, spy chief of Peru, is not a terrorist, just a common thug, the usual type of ally in US foreign policies.

Cannabis Consumers Campaign (May 26, 2002)
Come out of the closet, if you dare.

US Plan to Strike Enemy With Valium (May 26, 2002)
Valium is probably more humane than bullets, but genetically modified bugs?

Busy Year for Big Brother (May 25, 2002)
"Wiretaps leaped in number once again last year, mostly due to drug investigations, new government figures show," reports Declan McCullagh for Wired.com. So how did those pesky September 11 terrorists slip through the federal surveillance net again? Oh yeah, because the US government cares more about what drugs people use than whether terrorists the US government has trained, supported, and 'abandoned' around the world are going to come back around and bite the US government, and the US citizenry that continues to vote these corrupt warmongering hypocrites into office, right in the ass.

FBI Turns Anthrax Probe Towards Fort Detrick Maryland (May 25, 2002)
What's taken them so long?

F.B.I. Agent Says Superior Altered Report, Foiling Inquiry (May 25, 2002- registration required)"A senior F.B.I. agent in Minneapolis has accused a supervisor at the agency's Washington headquarters of altering a report in a way that made it impossible for investigators to obtain crucial evidence in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker, before the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, government officials said today," reports James Risen of the New York Times

Lawmaker Slams Drug Company on Suicides (May 25, 2002)
"It is a classic case," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., describing what he said is the company's attitude toward reports of suicide. "First deny, then blame the patient."

Nicotine water for smokers could hook kids (May 25, 2002)
Prohibitionist fears that this new nicotine-water mixture could hook kids are missing the point: Cigarettes could hook kids too, and do.

Drugs a 'Passing Youthful Phase' (May 24, 2002)
Not only does this report find most drug use to be relatively harmless, it also seeks to differentiate between large-scale drug traffickers, and small-scale drug deals amongst friends. The editor of drugwar.com fails to see how dealing drugs is so bad if drugs and the use thereof are themselves thought to be relatively harmless.

Former bank vice-presidents sentenced to 20 years in prison for laundering drug proceeds (May 24, 2002)
Although this title seems to say that more than one former bank vice-president was sentenced, it appears from reading the actual article that just one was sentenced.

Flower Staying-Power Hippies Hang on to Their Counter-Cultural Groove (May 24, 2002)
"The Grateful Dead are gone, the original Woodstock is ancient history, but the hippie movement just keeps truckin' on."

George W Bush, Political Terrorist (May 24, 2002)
"In fact, the Bush administration has proven itself more than willing to go to wretched extremes to keep any investigation from gaining steam, by frightening the public with warnings of doom that they themselves admit have far more to do with politics than reality," writes William Rivers Pitt for Truth Out.

Poison for Profit- Chem/Pharm Has No Equal- What a Business Plan (May 24, 2002)
"The huge transnational companies that produce toxic chemicals found in pesticides, herbicides and industrial and household products profit not only from the sale of these products, but also from the symptoms and chronic illnesses that they can trigger" reports Ashley Simmons Hotz.

Pot advocate claims refugee status (May 24, 2002)
"Medicinal-marijuana advocate Steve Kubby has been ordered to leave Canada, but a refugee claim and criminal charges may delay deportation for at least a year."

UK- The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee report on drugs policy in the UK is available online. (May 23, 2002)
Doug McVay of Common Sense for Drug Policy in Washington, DC sent us these links to the UK report and its conclusions.

UK- War on drugs has failed, say MPs (May 23, 2002)
"It remains an unhappy fact that the best efforts of police and Customs have had little, if any, impact on the availability of illegal drugs and this is reflected in the prices on the street, which are as low as they have ever been.The best that can be said, and the evidence for this is shaky, is that we have succeeded in containing the problem."

'No warnings' Truth launches surprise attack on Bush and critics of McKinney (May 23, 2002)
John Sugg of Atlanta's Creative Loafing writes of one of Drugwar.com's editor's current heros, Rep. Cynthia McKinney, (D-GA), who, though all woman, was one of the only people's representatives who had the balls to ask serious, no-holds-barred questions about the Bush administration's prior knowledge of Sept. 11 terror threats, despite coming under fire from all kinds of brainless, traitorous lickspittle media pundits and and reprehensible co-workers in the government. Go Representative McKinney! Would that we the people had more like you working and looking out for the people's interests.

Unit10: FBI Busts Suspected Drug Smugglers (May 23, 2002)
"Two men suspected of carrying on a San Diego-based drug-running operation for the Arellano-Felix organization have been caught in an FBI trap, a Unit10 Investigation showed."

Mexican Navy Denies Arellano-Felix Connection
Paper Claims Navy Helped Beat U.S. Drug Enforcement
"Mexico's navy is denying allegations that its officers accepted bribes to help protect drug shipments along the Pacific Coast."

Will the Real Paranoids Please Raise Their Hands? (May 23, 2002)
"For those who are paying attention, the incongruity of the critics of conspiracy theories should be apparent. 'We are busy conducting wars against sinister foreign conspiracies,' they might argue, 'and anyone who suggests that we might be engaged in conspiracies of our own, are paranoids.' 'They' conspire, in other words, but 'we' do not. A childishly simple explanation for consumption by childishly simple minds." Butler Shaffer explains why some people prefer not to face the fact that reality is not what they've been lead to believe, that those in power do in fact engage in conspiratorial behavior all the time, and have throughout history.

Don't Do Drug Ads (May 22, 2002)
"Most people already know that anti-drug ads won't stop kids from getting high. But The Wall Street Journal saw the news value on May 14 when U.S. drug czar John Walters announced a survey that shows the government's anti-drug ads have completely failed to slow down teen drug use." Read what else straight-shooting Cynthia Cotts of the Village Voice has to say about John Walters' admission and future plans for the ONDCP Anti-Drug Media Campaign, then access a number of links to even more information.

Fort Stewart soldier jailed in Florida on $5 million bond (May 22, 2002)
This US soldier was caught by Jacksonville, Florida police after planting a bomb at a power plant.

FBI Agents Indicted in Insider Trading Ring (May 22, 2002- Registration Required)
Thank goodness for the FBI.

Dan Rather- Bush Issued Bogus Terror Alert to Cover Up 9-11 Bungle (May 22, 2002)
As a resident of New York City, the editor of drugwar.com is a bit peeved to read these assertions, but not exactly surprised, other than for the fact they are being made by one of mainstream news media's leading lights.

Hidden Agenda Behind the 'War on Terrorism': US Bombing of Afghanistan Restores Trade in Narcotics (May 22, 2002)
"While oil and oil pipelines out of the Caspian sea basin were undoubtedly a factor, the bombing of Afghanistan also served to restore the multibillion drug trade, which is protected by the CIA," reports Michel Chossudovsky.

Hiding Behind a Veil of Executive Privilege (May 22, 2002)
"Despite many warnings like Berger's, including the recently revealed Central Intelligence Agency briefings last summer, the new administration treated the so-called war on drugs as more important than terrorism, and on that basis even made overtures to the Taliban leadership," writes Robert Scheer for the Los Angeles Times.

Addicted to the Drug War (May 22, 2002)
"As historian George Santayana said, those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. O'Reilly and his ilk have learned nothing from alcohol prohibition. Prohibition doesn't work. It is a great big game of "let's pretend" that produces nightmarish results." So writes Doug Newman in this scathing editorial on Bill O'Reilly's recent mindless call for increasing and supporting the War on Some Drugs.

Bill O'Reilly's Crimes Against Humanity (May 22, 2002)
O'Reilly lets loose with a completely idiotic, brainless, and bootlicking commentary in support of the completely failed, ruinous, anti-American War on Some Drugs and Users.

Ecstasy Fears Based on Flawed Tests (May 22, 2002)
"Much of the scientific evidence showing that ecstasy damages the brain is fundamentally flawed and has been mistakenly used by politicians to warn the public of the dangers of the drug, a report said...," reports the Daily Telegraph of Australia.

The Rise and Fall of Cocaine Cola (May 21, 2002)
A fascinating history of coca-cola, originally liberally spiked with cocaine.

GNN: Grail News Now THE BUSH HARD DRUG EMPIRE EVIDENCE (May 21, 2002)
Access tons of information leading to the unavoidable conclusion that the US government, including but by no means limited to the Bush criminals, have been and are involved in, at the very least, propping up and allowing drug producing dictators and allies to engage in rampant drug porduction and trafficking, as long as it suits US power interests. Seems logical- fighting a War on Some Drugs against US citizens necessitates they be supplied the drugs to get arrested for. Therefore, the US, in places such as Afghanistan, has enabled drug cartels and warlords to conduct their business with impunity. War hash is finally making its appearance here in NYC, and heroin cannot be far behind.

Department of Justice Declines to Pay hamilton Securities Owed for Work That Saved the US Government, (and hence taxpayers) $2.2 billion. (May 20. 2002)
Fitts is an outspoken researcher and former government insider who puts the finanical aspects of continuing this insane War on Some Drugs into clear, and consise terms, making it very easy for the discernable, openminded reader to get a real grasp of just how deeply the extremely profitable illegal global drug trade is, and how major and indepensible the illicit profits are to the global financial markets.

White House Drug Czar To Unveil American Indian Advertising (May 19, 2002
While Drug Czar Walters has this last week come out strongly against the ONDCP Media Campaign and its utter failures, even speculating they possibly have been leading American youth to experiment with marijuana use, he has now unveiled yet another anti-American, anti-drug commerical aimed at yet another segment of society often singled out for persecution and relegated to sub-citizen status. Once again, these drug warriors have gone to Congress, told them that they're on the track to eradicating drug use, if they only had more money this year to pull it off. Of course, it works both ways: If they claim their efforts aren't working, the obvious solution is to throw more money at the problem, and if they say it is working, well them they need ever more money to be sure it continues working. What other federal program is handed more money ever year they come in and give another failed report card, beside perhaps on military pork spending?

House Approves Yucca Mountain (May 19, 2002)
More absolute disreagrd for science and common sense, not to mention of the complete disregard for the well-being of those US citizen who make their homes anywhere near Yucca Mountain, Nevada, or for the veto by the governor of Nevada opposing this idiotic and brainless plan for the proposed national repository for nuclear waste in his state.

Recent Additions to The Ibogaine Dossier (May 19, 2002)
"An expanded collection of photographs of Mitsogo Bwiti initiation rites from the Gollnhofer Collection are now available. The photographs depict initiation rites in Gabon Africa during the 1970s. Most likely these scenes of an orthodox Bwiti sect will never be repeated. Images now take you from preparation of Tabernanthe iboga through the administration of an antidote." So writes Howard S. Lotsof in a recent email.

Canadian Court Rules Kubby Not A Fugitive (May 19, 2002)
Steve Kubby is a legitimate political refugee in Canada, fleeing capricious and vindictive US government persecution.

NORML Conference 2002 (May 18, 2002)
Daniel Forbes' detailed and entertaining report for High Times on NORML's recent national conference in San Fransisco.

Ban Ends Far More Than Prisoners' Art Sales (May 18, 2002)
Anthony Papa writes for New York's Newsday on the topic of New York state's recent banning of art by its incarcerated prisoners, explaining why this is a really bad idea, and completely counter-productive.

The Week Online With DRCNet, Issue #237 (May 18, 2002)
A direct action campaign against the DEA for its wrong-headed anti-medical marijuana stance, Drug Czar John Walters wants more money for the ONDCP Media Campaign, which he admits has been an utter flop, Oklahoma struggles to maintain its prison spending as it goes broke, Massachussets threatens methadone clinics, Nevada activists gather signatures for a petition drive to legalize marijuana possession, these stories and more, plus the weekly reformers' calendar are included in this week's issue.

Elitist Hands in the Cookie Jar (May 18, 2002)
Jim Rarey write in his Medium Rare column of the fananical shenanigans going on amongst the richest of the rich holding power in the US.

Tyranny of the Pinheads (May 18, 2002)
Steve Kubby knows from extensive personal experience just how relentless the pinheads in power can be. As harsh as his assesment is of the pinhead overlords, he notes that the docile public has "no one to blame but ourselves" for allowing them to take control of our lives, and our very thoughts.

Dope (May 18, 2002)
Dan Savage writes a brilliant rant here on the necessity of pot dealers, and wonders why more US pot smokers don't get more irate when their dealers, Very Important People, get popped in this baseless and pointless War. As he notes, if smoking pot isn't dangerous, why is selling pot bad? If no one sold it, where would most smokers and users get their recreational and medicinal herb? Most of us don't know how to grow it, or have the room. Support your dealers, they're people too.

Administrators and Language Teachers Needed- Akha Weekly Journal (May 18, 2002)
Matthew McDaniel is looking for some good, dedicated help with his mission to make life a bit better for the Akha hill people in Thailand. Got what it takes? Check in here.

Bush Aides Seek to Contain Furor Sept. 11 Not Envisioned, Rice Says (May 18, 2002)
"But Rice said Bush was not told, and U.S. intelligence analysts never envisioned, that terrorists would use jetliners in the type of suicide attacks carried out in New York and Washington on Sept. 11," reports this Washington Post article. This begs the question: Is Rice and the rest of the US intelligence community lying, or are they really this inept and uninformed? Which is worse, after the huge amounts of US taxpayer money handed to the intelligence community since the end of World War II?

Report Warned of Suicide Hijackings (May 18, 2002)
All the talk on Thursday, from Rep.Porter Goss, National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, and more, about how no one in US intelligence or the Bush administration ever considered that terrorists like bin Laden would ever use airplanes as bombs or missiles were lies, as this 1999 US government report amply demonstrates.

Big Brother is Watching, Listening (May 18, 2002)
Watch what you say, and be careful what you think, because the FBI may come by to investigate. Is another House of Un-American Activities Committee just around the corner?

Country Woman Mistakes Bong for Bomb (May 17, 2002)
"The secretary of state's bomb squad was called Tuesday morning to a rural Sangamon County residence to investigate a possible pipe bomb in a mailbox. But it wasn't a pipe bomb. It was a pipe bong."

At Least 80 Charged Over Mushrooms (May 17, 2002)
"At least 80 people face charges of illegally picking psychedelic mushrooms that grow naturally on property owned by Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel."

Doobieous Bust (May 17, 2002)
These Texas cops snagged an entire gram, that's one gram, of pot, 6 tabs of ecstacy, 2 xanax, and a few other pills at the local May 4th Million Marijuana March event.

Drug Warriors Admit Their Propaganda Fails (May 17, 2002)
The new US Drug Czar John Walters is saying the ONDCP Anti-Drug, anti-youth Media Campaign propaganda commericals have not worked, other than for possibly leading more youth to try marijuana. Therefore, he wants to increase the funding for new, improved commercial propaganda adverts, and wants to get television scripts more in tune with the prohibitionist propaganda song and dance routine.

Canada Marijuana Reform Concern to US (May 17, 2002)
The US government is threatening trade sanctions against Canada if it continues in its moves towards sanity by contemplating decriminalizing marijuana.

South Africa: Ex-Cuban Spy Applies For Bail (May 16, 2002)
Accused by the US of smuggling drugs by submarine, this guy was arrested in South Africa.

Unheeded Warnings: FBI Agent's Notes Pointed to Possible World Trade Center Attack (May 16, 2002)
This agent was in Minneapolis, and specifically warned FBI headquarters of the chance the World Trade Center was a target of hijackers. The idea that US officials had "no idea" planes would be used as missiles is just plain silly, when one remembers the G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy, 2001, where planes were not allowed to fly over the summit due to fears of planes being used as missiles, or of that small plane that flew into the White House itself on Sept. 12, 1994.

Rockefeller Drug Laws Fail But Persist (May 15, 2002)
Despite all the evidence that these mandatory minimum sentencing drug laws have completely failed to stop, or even stem in the least little bit the use and sales of illegal drugs, there's no end in sight for these evil laws.

OPEC Chief Warned Chavez About Coup (May 15, 2002)
US leaders love touting democracy, unless it interferes with big business profits. Then all bets are off, and coup fever takes over.

In My Corner of Thailand (May 15, 2002)
"Since our reporting and protest of the killings of Akha by the Thai Army and police there has been a greater sense of security in the hills and VOLUNTARY involvement in detox has jumped way up, which shows the carrot works better than the stick." So writes Matthew McDaniel in Thailand.

Medical Marijuana Seniors Sentenced in Federal Court (May 15, 2002)
These two peaceful senior US citizens are going to prison for growing pot way back in 1997. Tracy Grant, the detective who raided them is facing the possibility of dozens of civil suits for violating the civil rights of more citizens during the infamous Green Fire grow store investigation scandal. High Times magazine was cited by Grant as evidence of the couple's growing marijuana illegally, asserting they'd used the magazine for grow directions. They were not allowed to use California's Compassionate Use Act medical marijuana law as a defense due to being tried in federal court.

Hash Bash Still a Smash (May 15, 2002)
More than 5000 people gathered at Ann Arbor, Michigan's University of Michigan campus for the annual Hash Bash, this year paying special attention to remember Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm, owners of the Rainbow Farm, killed by law enforcement last year.

Connolly Jury Will Hear From Mobsters, Feds (May 15, 2002)
This former FBI agent is accused of working with two of his star mob informants, helping them continue their long-term crime careers while snitching out their competition to him, thereby furthering the agent's own career.

Vermont Medical Marijuana Bill Heads for Showdown (May 15, 2002)
The Vermont Senate has passed a medical marijuana bill that would allow for a medical marijuana defense to those arrested for pot offenses. But for those who simply enjoy the buzz, or don't actually want to have to get arrested to prove they're sick, tough luck.

Canada: Michelle Kubby Letter to the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs (May 15, 2002)
Steve Kubby's wife Michelle writes seeking compassion from the Canadian government in her husband's case. Steve suffers a rare form of adrenal cancer, which only pot seems to help him bear the horrific consequences of. They now live as medical marijuana refugees due to severe persecution in California.

Bill Maher, Gov. Jesse Ventura, and San Francisco District Attorney Terrance Hallinan at NORML Conference 2002 (May 14, 2002)
See and hear what these three gentlemen had to say to the attendees at the recent NORML convention in California. Bill Maher delivers a very funny and derisive commentary on the War on Some Drugs.

US Treasury Web Site Reveals $ Half-Trillion Deficit (May 14, 2002)
It appears the US government is not being entirely forthright about how much the deficit really amounts to. Meanwhile, the same government continues to throw good money after bad waging its horrific War on Drugs.

The Fake Persuaders (May 14, 2002)
Find out how corporations, such as Monsantos, maker of the Round-Up being sprayed in Colombia now, and the Agent Orange used in Vietnam, and of genetically modified food crops, use pretend people to smear their opponents online.

Smoking 'Kills Brain Cells' (May 14, 2002)
After torturing rats in nicotine studies, these scientists are alleging cigarette smoking kills brain cells, and keeps others from being produced. While it may be easy to believe the worst of such a killer as cigarettes, the fact that this has also been alleged for pot, alcohol, pesticides, car exhaust, and god knows what else in this industrial day and age, it may behoove the reader to use their judgment on this one.

Scotland: Drug Court 'Has Cut Dependency' (May 14, 2002)
Although the idea of a criminal justice system being responsible for referring people into drug treatment is troubling to some, including the editor of drugwar.com, this article reports on the apparent success of Scotland's first drug court after its first 6 months in operation.

UK- Optimism Over MS Cannabis (May 14, 2002)
Despite the lack of measurable positive results in multiple sclerosis patients taking these cannabis extracts, researchers are still hopeful that pharmaceutical companies can make a lot of money with their cannabis pills and extracts while citizens and patients in a number of countries are still being locked up for smoking the whole natural plant.

FBI Checks Drug Task Force for Signs of Cash Skimming (May 13, 2002)
"Indeed, suspicion about misuse of the drug war tactic that's supposed to drain the profits from illegal drug dealing is an old story in Crittenden County," writes Bartholomew Sullivan about these drug task force cops in Tennessee.

Organic Food Vindicated, but So What? (May 13, 2002)
ABC's John Stossel, the guy who couldn't rationally discuss the War on Some Drugs at NYC's recent Million Marijuana March due to preoccupation with the pierced face of drugwar.com's editor, apparently is a liar and a crappy journalist. Find out the truth about organic produce that John Stossel and the pesticides industry he is an apologist for would prefer Americans not know.

Michael Ruppert Presentation About September 11, in Long Island, NY (May 13, 2002)
Find out what the investigative journalist and former member of the LAPD had to say to this private audience of mainly Muslim listeners.

Man Says Son Suspended From Lawrence County For Not Joining Drug Sting (May 12, 2002)
With no real criminals or terrorist types to catch, narcotics officers in Lawrence County, Alabama have been targeting highly dangerous high school students who use and sell drugs on campuses. This kid apparently refused to cooperate, according to his dad.

War on Pony Tails- The Drug War is a War Against Counter Culture (May 12, 2002)
It's important to note that the DEA ban on hemp food products has been put on hold due to court action, which isn't noted when in this otherwise lucid and on the money editorial the DEA's attempted hemp ban is mentioned going into effect. Hemp foods are legal to buy and sell in the United States at this time, despite idiotic moves by the federal government to ban them. That said, find out why this writer thinks the War on Drugs is really against the Counter Culture.

Everything You Know Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Secrets and Lies (May 12, 2002)
"Everything You Know Is Wrong", the highly anticipated new book from editor Russ Kick, is available now. The editor of drugwar.com is proud to have an article discussing the 'choice' between jail or drug treatment included in this, the second incredible book from The Disinformation Company.

What's America's Real Role in the Afghan Heroin Trade (May 12, 2002)
"But the sharp rise in heroin smuggling is more than a byproduct of a chaotic war. It’s a direct result of U.S. policy, according to high-ranking Pakistani military officials and sources in the drug trade. They ought to know. After all, they cooperated with the U.S. in establishing the heroin trade in the first place." So reports Reese Erlich for Alternet.org. Read why he writes such an emphatic assertion, then think about the War on heroin and other illegal drug users here in the US.

Early Reports Indicate Prop. 36 is Working as Intended (May 12, 2002)
According to this report, California's Prop. 36, which diverts some illegal drug offenders from jail sentences into treatment, seems to be cutting incarcerations rates, resulting in plans for yet another maximum security prison to be put on hold. This is good, but mandating treatment for people who might not necessarily need treatment is not good. Not sending illegal drug users to jails and prisons is good, but sending them against their will to behavior modification and insisting people are sick for taking illegal drugs is bad. Beware the therapeutic state.

Notorious Mafia Leader Bonanno Dead (May 12, 2002)
Evidence that lead to the one and only felony conviction against Joseph Bonanno, who died Saturday at age 97, was "obtained by a narcotics strike force that sifted through his trash for years," reports this Associated Press article. What drives someone to grow up and sift through other people's trash for years?

CIA Missile Misses Afghan Chief (May 12, 2002)
Yet another instance of the US powerstructure trying to kill a former ally who now poses a threat to US power interests. This one is especially galling in that for years, while battling the Soviets in Afghanistan, the US ignored Hekmatyar's opium and heroin trafficking while waging war on its own citizens in the US for taking these drugs. Now he's a threat to their new puppet government in Afghanistan, so he's got to go, permanently it appears. The US has inspired, supported, and created the very best enemies money can buy.

Coffee Beans, Soldiers, and Cobra Gold (May 11, 2002)
Coffee beans for sale, soldiers massing on the border, and the US-backed Cobra Gold operations are underway.

Support Robin Prosser (May 11, 2002)
Beginning a hunger strike on 4-20-02, Robin Prosser is "demanding she be allowed to grow and use medical marijuana in her home state of Montana." Visit today and see what you can do to help this brave woman.

DEA Kidnap Attempt on Ken Hayes Backfires (May 11, 2002)
"Although it is not technically illegal in Canada for the police to talk to someone without the attorney being present, it is considered very bad form. And taking the agent of a foreign power to intimidate a refugee from that country is not very nice, and is therefore positively unCanadian," writes Richard Cowan on the visit Ken Hayes received from agents of the RCMP and DEA. Get updated on the latest news of Americans Hayes', and Steve and Michelle Kubby's cases.

Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect (May 11, 2002)
Valerie Vande Panne gives us a clear eyed and evocative view of life in a US ghetto, living under the watchful eye of an invading police force bent on trampling drug users...I mean, drugs. Check out her second chilling installment.

US Military Proposes Illegal Bioweapons Research (May 11, 2002)
While the US government continues its war on Some Drugs and users, its military has been breaking international and federal laws by researching and developing biological weapons. Now they are proposing more research and development, all of which is highly illegal. Read Russ Kick's article to find out just what these maniacs have been up to out of the public eye.

Anthrax Bug "Identical" to Army Strain (May 10, 2002)
New Scientist, "the world's no. 1 science and technology news service," is reporting that the US Army laboratory at Ft. Detrick in Maryland appears to have been the originator of the anthrax sent through the US mail in the Fall of 2001. Find out why.

Week Online With DRCNet, Issue #236 (May 10, 2002)
This week's issue covers Philadelphia's "Operation Safe Streets", aimed at open air illegal drug markets, efforts to repeal the Higher Education Act's anti-drug user provisions, approval of new drug tests focusing on hair, a US government "drug expert" admitting that drug use scares drug warriors more than crime does, anti-needle exchange hysteria in Peoria, hemp planting in South Dakota, and lots more. Don't forget to check the reformers' calendar.

Satire- The Skinny on the Drug Czar (May 10, 2002)
Drugwar.com is glad to reprint this 1999 satirical look by Sanho Tree of the Institute for Policy Studies' Drug Policy Project, at the possibilities of weight courts, diet laws, and more, all in the name of a War on anorexia and those dangerous anorexics leading the US to ruin and despair.

Colombian Counterdrug Officers Fired After US Money Disappears (May 10, 2002)
A "significant amount of money" is missing from funds the US supplied Colombia for combating the illicit drug trade.

Canada Says Legalizing Marijuana Not Imminent (May 9, 2002)
"Canada will not move yet to legalize marijuana, Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said on Friday, despite the release of a parliamentary report that said efforts to prevent the drug's consumption are ineffective," reports Reuters in this article.

Lawmakers Charge: CIA, DOJ Obstructing 911 Probes (May 9, 2002)
Why can't the Senate and the House get the information they need to investigate what happened on September 11 out of the CIA and the US Department of Justice?

Interview With Peruvian Journalist Roger Rumrrill (May 9, 2002)
"The United States doesn't dare to modify its anti-drug policies. To the contrary, it continues radicalizing its positions and this is bringing it to an absolute failure." Read what else this journalist of rare outspokeness has to say. Part 3 of a series, so be sure to check for parts 1 and 2 at the same link.

Pierced Kids Looking For Trouble (May 9, 2002)
"Females (with body piercings) were about 2-1/2 times more likely to have had sex, 2-1/2 times more likely to have smoked, 2-1/2 times as likely to have used marijuana in the past month, and almost two times as likely to have skipped school in the last year." So reports Reuters on the recent conclusion reached "by Dr. Timothy Roberts of the University of Rochester in New York."

Fed's Pot Crop Not Up To Snuff (May 9, 2002)
The Canadian government asked the DEA for some of its standardized marijuana seeds, but the DEA said no. As a result, using seeds taken by police in raids, the Canadian government has grown such a varied crop of marijuana they are saying that patients must now wait months longer to be able to obtain their legal, government-grown medical marijuana.

Respond to Drug Czar John Walters' Anti-Marijuana Editorial (May 9, 2002)
Let all the newspapers that have printed Drug Czar John Walters' incredibly insulting and ridiculous editorial ranting about the dangers of marijuana know how you feel about it. While you're at it, let Walters, and your Representatives and Congressfolk know as well.

Scientists' Deaths Are Under The Microscope (May 9, 2002)
Right out of the X-Files, at least 11 top-notch microbiologists have died since Sept. 11, 2001, and their deaths are to say the least suspicious.

Israeli Arms Dealers Differ Over Responsibility for Shipment to Colombian Paramilitaries (May 9, 2002)
While US officials apparently knew these arms merchants were shipping arms, it's said they thought they were collectors items and say they had no idea the arms were heading for the US-labeled terrorist right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia.

Dear George W. Bush, About Your War on Drugs... (May 8, 2002)
This editorial is by "a young writer and artist in Colorado who wholeheartedly believes that marijuana is a beneficial substance in many of our lives," someone who "also strenuously advocate[s] decriminalization and ending the so-called "war on drugs." Check out what this young person has to say to Bush, and Drug Czar Walters.

Colombian War- Newly Released US Documents (May 8, 2002)
US Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, (R-IL), when he was chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, decried the human rights limitations to military aid to Colombia, deciding that the War on Drugs was more important than human rights. Read about this and even more duplicitous US and Colombian behavior and lies about what the US aid to Colombia has really been used for.

Sex, Drugs, and Guns in the Balkans: Ethnic Albanian Rebels Benefit From Sex Slavery (May 7, 2002)
Just as in Afghanistan, despite or perhaps because of foreign military interference in Albania, the arms, drugs, and sex trades still flourish.

Colombia Battle Leaves 110 Dead (May 7, 2002)
The death toll mounts as the war rages on in Colombia

Widespread Panic Cracks Down on Drugs (May 7, 2002)
This band seems to be seriously supportive of the police state that arrested 200 of its audience, and still failed to prevent an overdose and suicide during and after the show respectively. Is this band trying to avoid a lawsuit, or perhaps garner a deal similar to N'Sync's with the ONDCP Media Campaign?

Lawmaker Would Bar Violent Game Sales to Kids (May 7, 2002)
"Co-signed by 21 members of the House of Representatives, the bill covers eight kinds of explicit in-game depictions, including scenes of decapitation and dismemberment, murder, car jackings, illegal drug use, rape, prostitution, assault and other violent crimes," reports Ben Berkowitz of Reuters. The questions remain: why is "illegal drug use" included in this list of violent crimes? If all these videogames are so dangerous, what about depictions of real, ongoing wars? Or should we ban those depictions too, since we won't ever ban war itself? Does real war have less influence than videogames on violent behavior amongst children?

US District Court: Doctor Sentenced (May 6, 2002)
A doctor who conspired with a Pittsburgh cop to prescribe and sell prescription drugs has been sentenced to federal prison. The former cop is already serving 10 years.

Thousands of Protesters Have a Spliffing Good Time (May 6, 2002)
At least one of these events had an organizer who greatly appreciated the cool and relaxed attitude displayed by their police. Why are US cops so pig-headed on pot and other drugs, and UK cops so much more enlightened? But, as noted in this article by Shane Collins, organizer of the Brixton, London event, even in the UK, "Because cannabis has been downgraded to a class C drug, a lot of people think it's now legal. It is not. If we want to get rid of the problems of prohibition we have to get rid of prohibition 100%."

Judge Changes Ruling on Medical Marijuana (May 6, 2002)
"Guided by the U.S. Supreme Court, a judge ruled Friday [May 4] that federal law bars a handful of Bay Area medical marijuana clubs from passing out the drug to their members," leads in this article from the Contra Costa Times. Not even the dying are allowed to smoke pot, regardless of whether it helps them or not, as marijuana is illegal due to mandate by the US federal government, no matter what the people who vote on state initiatives might have to say about it, and have.

Chavez Raises Idea of US Role in Coup- Interview Suggests Rocky Road Ahead (May 6, 2002)
President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela seems to think he's got evidence of US involvement in the failed coup against him last month, involvement that extended to possibly assassinating the democratically elected President.

Work is Three Times as Deadly as War, says UN (May 6, 2002)
Not only is work more deadly than war every year, so too is it more deadly than all drug and alcohol abuse combined.

Former Bolivian Leader Banzer Dies (May 5, 2002)
Former dictator, former elected President of Bolivia Hugo Banzer, also a stalwart ally in the US-inspired War on Drugs for most of his career and suspected of involvement in the US-South American terror and assassination program Operation Condor while dictator, is dead at age 75.

FBI Warned of Arabs in Flight School (May 5, 2002)
The FBI in Arizona alerted national FBI headqurters in July, 2001, that they were suspicious of some Arabic men who were seeking or receiving training in flight school there, but nothing was done before the Sept. 11 attacks. Also see Daniel Hopsicker's article "Did Terrorist Pilots Train at US Military Schools?"

Bush to Reject Int'l Court Treaty (May 5, 2002)
The Bush administration has signaled yet again that official US actions are held to different standards than those the administration holds the rest of the world to.

Report: Cop Asked for Sobriety Test (May 5, 2002)
This former cop who ran down a pregnant woman and her two children in Brooklyn in August 2001 was convicted on four counts of second degree manslaughter Friday even though his lawyers argued passionately that despite his consuming 12 beers he was not impared due to his high tolerance to alcohol. He'd asked for a sobriety test immediately after the killings. He wasn't given one, although other officers discussed what kind of test they could give that he could most easily "beat," according to this article from the Associated Press.

UK-Police Back Softer Line of Drug Users (May 5, 2002)
While the British Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is taking less action against people found with small amounts of pot, they are also asserting that drug use is more an issue of health than law enforcement. This sounds great, until one considers the ACPO is still against even decriminalization of any drugs, including pot, which means they will still decide who needs treatment.

MMM 2002 EVENT NAVIGATOR.
Cannabis Liberation Day. It lists the names of nearly all of the MMM cities
worldwide on one page. In alphabetical order. With the state and country names also. Click any city in the alphabetical list to see the contact and rally info for that city. Come out and show your support for an end to the War on Marijuana Users this coming Saturday, May 4, 2002.

The Week Online With DRCNet- Issue #235 (May 3, 2002)
Subjects covered in this week's issue include the legalization views of two former Drug Czars, (but unfortunately not former US drug czars), Thai anti-drug death squads, China's yuppie druggie brouhaha, the GAO wondering what the government is getting for the hundreds of millions of dollars spent promoting drug courts, and lots more, including the weekly reformer's calendar.

Man Shot by Feds No Dealer, Say Kin and Pals (May 3, 2002)
Asserting there's a police coverup, family and friends of Egbert (Bert Junior) Dewgard, who was shot dead by a DEA agent in NYC on May 1, insist that he was not involved in drugs, and wonder where in the heck a man who worked 16-hour days in his print shop found time to run drugs. See also Drug Suspect Killed by Cop.

Head of Mexico City Police Unit Slain (May 3, 2002)
"Police Chief Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday that Guillermo Robles Liceaga had been involved in an anti-narcotics operation when he drove into an ambush at 1:55 p.m. Wednesday," reports the Associated Press. A current Mexican federal cop and two former city officers were arrested in connection to the killing.

Memo: Hastert Decried Tying Aid, Rights (May 3, 2002)
"Before becoming House speaker, Rep. Dennis Hastert told Colombian military officers that he was 'sick and tired' of human rights considerations controlling U.S. anti-drug aid, according to a newly declassified government document," reports the Associated Press.

Virginia Apologizes for Sterilizations (May 3, 2002)
From 1924 to 1979, "Virginia conducted about 7,450 sterilizations under the banner of eugenics, or selective human breeding and social engineering," reports this article. Virginia Governor Mark Warner's apology comes on the 75th anniversary of the US Supreme Court "upholding Virginia's eugenics law," in Buck vs. Bell, leading other states to follow Virginia's "human breeding and social engineering" lead.

RV Driver Arrested in Pot Bust (May 3, 2002)
Actually, two people were busted after making a voyage from Florida to Mexico and back, to pick up 828 pounds of pot. After getting busted, they agreed to work with the feds, and turned in their co-pot smuggling friends.

Burmese Junta May Release Nobel Winner Suu Kyi Today (May 3, 2002)
After winning a landside election victory in 1990 against the Junta in power since 1962, Aung San Suu Kyi has been in hot water with the military rulers, but may be soon released from her latest spell under house arrest, which has lasted since September 2000.

No Case Vs. Man Who Knew Hijackers (May 3, 2002)
"The judge wrote that 'imprisoning a material witness for a grand jury investigation raises a serious constitutional question under the Fourth Amendment,' which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures," reports Larry Neumeister of the Associated Press. Does anyone else remember the 4th Amendment, currently in tatters due primarily to the War on Drugs?

US Government Fails Fiscal-Fitness Test (May 3, 2002)
Kelly Patricia O'Meara wants to know where in the heck the Pentagon put $1.1 TRILLION in US taxpayer money they now are saying they've 'lost'.

Konformist's Beast of the Year 2002 Awards (May 2, 2002)
Readers of Robert Sterling's Konformist have chosen the Bush administration, Dick Cheney, and Antonin Scalia as scarier, and much more beast-like than even prime boogyman, Osama bin Laden. Find out why here.

The Myth of 'Harmless' Marijuana (May 2, 2002)
"After years of giggling at quaintly outdated marijuana scare stories like the 1936 movie "Reefer Madness," we've become almost conditioned to think that any warnings about the true dangers of marijuana are overblown. But marijuana is far from "harmless" -- it is pernicious," spews US Drug Czar John Walters in this downright insulting and idiotic editorial. He seems to have been living in a closet somewhere, as he expresses fears that it "appears that a medical marijuana campaign may be on the horizon for the District." Sixty-nine percent of voting Washington DC voters voted YES for medical marijuana way back in November, 1998, but Rep. Bob Barr and his fellow irrational rabid Drug Warrior buddies in the House blocked the implimentation of Initiative 59, and continue to do so to this day. This rant by Walters is another shining example of how a lack of pot smoking could contribute to stupidity and ignorance in people, and has definitely lead directly to the killing of democracy in the capital of the Land of the Free.

Fed Drug Cop Kills Suspect in Struggle (May 2, 2002)
Another instance of a deadly drug cop waging War on US citizenry, in the name of saving American citizenry from the deadly perils of drug use.

Eleven House Pages Dismissed Over Marijuana Allegations (May 2, 2002)
The editor of drugwar.com saw a tv news blurb on this story yesterday, (but cannot remember on which station), in which it was reported that one of these eleven, the girl who brought pot back to her dorm room, was turned in for her pot by her room-mate in the House Page dormatory. Which hurt this teenager worse, her pot use, or her snitch roommate? Whether or not the pot use by these eleven youngsters was having any deletrious effects upon their work or health is not discussed in this report. Since it took a snitch for them to get caught, this leads one to suspect there weren't any overt signs of pot use.

D.A.R.E Officer Cited With DUI (May 2, 2002)
Debra Pittman, head of the D.A.R.E. program Henry County, Ohio, has been caught driving drunk.

Philadelphia Police Plan New Antidrug Push (May 2, 2002)
In 1997 in Philadelphia, there were 8,682 drug arrests. Last year, in 2001, there were 24,845 drug arrests. Yet the cops there are pulling out the same tired, destructive War plans, saying, "by golly, THIS time we're REALLY going to stop those druggies", completely missing the evidence right in front of their noses that their efforts, (or are they War crimes?) are for naught. People will always do drugs of one sort or another, but the War goes on, and on, and on. Is it illicit drug use, or lack of illicit drug use that causes stupidity?

Protesters Detained in Milwaukee: Are You on the No Fly List? (May 2, 2002)
Apparently, these protesters for peace were kept from flying to protest US policies in Colombia due to their names being "flagged" on the check-in computers at the airport. There's a federal list out there with Americans' names on it, names of people, including nuns and priests, the US government feels might be a threat to their warmongering ways.

Rice Says Chavez Weakened Democracy (May 2, 2002)
"'Just because Chavez was elected doesn't mean he exhibited democratic values,' Rice said. 'We cannot fall into that trap,'" said the US National Security Advisor, quoted by the New York Times. Doesn't she hear what she's saying?