Man
caught with painkillers and heroin (Nov. 30, 2002)
After all the taxdollars spent on this ultra-expensive War on
Some Drugs and Users, police are still saying they're seeing ever
more hard drugs, in this case heroin, hitting US city streets.
Heroin
"stolen" in police raid (Nov. 30, 2002)
"A police anti-corruption taskforce is investigating claims
that $370,000 in cash and a kilogram of high-grade heroin were
stolen during a raid by drug squad detectives."
Heroin
main drug of misuse in EHB area (Nov. 30, 2002)
"The Drug Treatment Centre is the largest provider of specialist
drug treatment services in Ireland, managing over 96,000 client
visits each year."
Judge
gives heroin addict a chance to go straight (Nov. 30, 2002)
"The judge told Field that if he failed then he knew that
he was looking at an immediate 326 days imprisonment in addition
to a further sentence for the theft."
Cannabis
Can Ease the Pain (Nov. 30, 2002)
"A former Torquay head teacher who took part in the world's
biggest clinical trials of cannabis wants the drug to be legalised
for medical use."
Warning
to cannabis smokers (Nov. 30, 2002)
"Male marijuana smokers risk damaging their testicles, while
female cannabis users can harm their reproductive organs. That
was the warning from Speaker Peter Lewis yesterday during a parliamentary
debate on a Bill to remove hydroponically grown cannabis from
the expiation system."
U.S.,
ACLU agree on January deadline to release surveillance records
(Nov. 30, 2002)
"In response to a suit brought by the ACLU and other groups,
the Justice Department also said it would supply a list of documents
that it would keep confidential, citing national security concerns.
The ACLU could challenge the decision to withhold any documents."
Reefer
Madness (Nov. 30, 2002- Free New York Times registration required)
"We interrupt our coverage of the war on terrorism to check
in with that other permanent conflict against a stateless enemy,
the war on drugs. To judge by the glee at the White House Office
of National Drug Control Policy, the drug warriors have just accomplished
the moral equivalent of routing the Taliban — helping to halt
a relentless jihad against the nation's drug laws," writes
Bill Keller in this editorial for the New York Times.
Cannabis
pioneers remember Mellow Yellow cafe (Nov. 30, 2002)
Amsterdam is celebrating 30 years of cafe shops openly selling
smoke, and allowing their patrons to smoke on premises.
Greek
league suspends former NBA first-round pick for cannabis use
(Nov. 30, 2002)
"Former NBA first-round draft pick Erick Barkley was suspended
by the Greek Basketball Federation after he tested positive for
cannabis, sporting authorities said Wednesday."
Cop
Who Believes In "Regulating" Drugs Riding Horse Into Town
(Nov. 29, 2002)
"He is associated with LEAP: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
He states, 'After three decades of fueling the U.S. war on drugs
with over half a trillion tax dollars and increasingly punitive
policies, illicit drugs are easier to get, cheaper, and more potent
than they ever were."
Don't
put pot in the joint (Nov. 29, 2002)
"George Washington, raising support in France for the American
Revolution, gave this excuse for cutting his visit short: 'I wouldn't
miss the hemp harvest in Mount Vernon for all the tea in China.'"
Departing
Governors Face Next Steps (Nov. 29, 2002)
"New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson hopes to climb Mount Everest
in the spring, and then start a foundation aiming to end the war
against drugs."
Former
drug czar says smarter policy needed (Nov. 29, 2002)
"In an interview last week, McCaffrey was unflappable in
his belief that the nation's counter-drug policy has worked effectively
- despite a public perception that the so-called 'war on drugs'
is an utter failure."
Double
Jeopardy (Nov. 29, 2002)
"A long-ago bust gets a city staffer fired and raises questions
about drug policy."
Some
Call New Drug "Legal Marijuana" (Nov. 29, 2002)
"Last month a bill was introduced in congress to outlaw salvia
divinorum. But on the streets of Southwest Florida, law enforcement
agencies are just now learning about the drug."
GJ
man, 57, pleads guilty to trafficking marijuana (Nov. 29,
2002)
"Jose Pedrego-Lugo pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana
with intent to distribute and money laundering, both felony crimes."
Australia-
Liberal MP claims SA Magistrate offered him marijuana (Nov.
29, 2002)
"Mr Brindal made the claim during debate on the bill to remove
hydroponically grown marijuana from the cannabis expiation scheme."
Britain
'bombed itself to fool Nazis' (Nov. 28, 2002)
But leaders in the US would never, ever behave like this, right?
Kissinger
lied about East Timor (Nov. 28, 2002)
"Disinfo Editor's Note [Russ Kick]: To remind everyone of
just one reason why Kissinger's appointment to head the 9/11 probe
is such a cruel, hideous joke, we're posting this excerpt from
Appendix A of Everything You Know Is Wrong. It presents the smoking-gun
memo that proves Kissinger and Ford greenlighted Indonesia's genocidal
invasion of East Timor, something that Kissinger has always denied."
Dirty
Dozen? The FBI May Have Dragged Its Feet on Investigating the
Saudi Money Trail (Nov. 28, 2002)
"Although the CIA had a secret list of 12 prominent Saudi
businessmen accused of continuing to funnel millions to Osama
bin Laden, ABCNEWS has learned that the FBI may have dragged its
feet in following the Saudi money trail." Does it sound to
anyone else like someone is setting up Saudi Arabia as the next
target in the War on Terror? Or, are stalwart allies of the US
really supporting terrorists who want to bring down the United
States? Either way this is not cheerful news.
Canada-
Why drug education doesn't work (Nov. 28, 2002)
"Community groups usually pay for police officers to be trained
as DARE instructors; while Ottawa does not contribute, the U.S.
government has given $750,000 to pay for the training of Canadian
instructors." As a Canadian subscriber to the DrugWar.com
list wrote when alerting us to this article, "So let me get
this straight: to use American language, an alien power is spending
money to subvert our sovereign drug policies and influence our
police."
Medical
marijuana activist wins round one (Nov. 28, 2002)
"In Sechelt court on Monday, charges of cultivating and possession
for the purpose of trafficking against Steve Kubby were dropped,
and the judge ordered the return of his growing equipment and
the marijuana seized by the RCMP."
Intelligence
experts pan call for domestic spying agency (Nov. 28, 2002)
"A new domestic spying agency would neither serve the interests
of police or spying agencies nor ameliorate Americans' fears about
enhanced electronic surveillance by the government, a panel of
intelligence experts largely agreed, for different reasons, on
Friday."
Senator
lies — to protect us, of course (Nov. 28, 2002)
"I woke up Friday morning listening to a U.S. senator lie
through his teeth....U.S. law does not treat leaks of defense
information as a criminal act, nor should it. But leaks of business
information will now be a crime. We have our priorities."
Whistleblower's
payout (Nov. 28, 2002)
US-based military mercenary outfit Dyncorp has been ordered to
pay one of their fired whistle-blowers, who informed authorities
of rampant criminality and the buying of prositutes by Dyncorp
employees in the Balkans, more than $100,000.
Kissinger
To Head 9-11 Commission (Nov. 28, 2002)
In one of the most insulting and egregious examples of disregard
to truth, justice and accountability, (besides the fact that John
Poindexter holds a Pentagon job spying on American citizens instead
of a spot on a prison bunk somewhere) George W. Bush has appointed
Henry Kissinger, a real, honest-to-goodness war criminal who helped
plot the Sept. 11, 1973 overthrow of the democratically elected
government of Salvadore Allende of Chile, illegally bombed Laos
and Cambodia way back into the most primitive of stone ages, and
helped perpetrate a whole bunch of other murderous crimes against
humanity, to "un" cover the truth about what happened
on Sept. 11, 2001. Our own President Bush
is Not Likely to Testify in any Sept. 11 Probe.
Professional
Spinners Called in for Canadian House of Commons Drug Report
(Nov. 28, 2002)
"The Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs met in
camera at 4:15 p.m. this day, in Room 701, La Promenade Building,
the Chair, Paddy Torsney, presiding." Read the minutes of
this meetings here.
Australia-
Marijuana-related suicide an epidemic, says MP (Nov. 28, 2002)
Yet another totally bizarre and destructive prohibitionist theory
right out of the the Reefer Madness handbook.
Man
gets life term over 3 lbs. of mailed marijuana (Nov. 28, 2002)
Life in prison for just over 3 pounds of flowers. What in the
hell is happening here? Oh yeah, there's a War going on, and the
prohibitionists are not playing games, they're intent on committing
as much evil as possible before it ends.
Marijuana
is smuggled both ways (Nov. 28, 2002)
"'Alaska marijuana holds the national record for THC content,'
said Zoran Yankovich of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
'Mat-Su bud is known throughout the West Coast. We've seen it
exchanged pound for pound for cocaine in L.A. in operations there.'"
Teen
kicked out for pot ordered back into school (Nov. 28, 2002)
"The most exclusive private schools in the Twin Cities area
can have their pick of students. But apparently, they can't always
choose whom they kick out."
Canada-
Marijuana 'grow houses' booming (Nov. 28, 2002)
"Authorities say more than 50,000 houses now used exclusively
for plant cultivation."
Hagel
says he's never smoked marijuana (Nov. 28, 2002)
Nebraska's senior Senator Chuck Hagel tells students he's never
smoked pot, and opposes legalization.
The
Office of Strategic Influence Is Gone, But Are Its Programs In
Place? (Nov. 28, 2002)
"The Federation of American Scientists has pointed to a startling
revelation by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that mainstream
media have missed: In remarks during a recent press briefing,
Rumsfeld suggested that though the controversial Office of Strategic
Influence (OSI) no longer exists in name, its programs are still
being carried out."
pi911- The People's
Investigation of 9/11 (Nov. 28, 2002)
"We declare a national emergency in uncovering what really
happened on 9/11/2001 through an immediate call for an independent
collaborative investigation worldwide. The U.S. government could
help us but instead is doing everything it can to stop any investigations
into 9/11."
Pasadena
narcotics officers seize $216,000 of marijuana (Nov. 28, 2002)
"Baird said the men arrested had the marijuana with the intent
to sell it, thought it is not known where they planned to sell
the dope."
Rail
firm rap over Amsterdam ad (Nov. 27, 2002)
This is an article taken right out of the Reefer Madness handbook.
Cops
Grab Cannabis in Raid on Isle Office (Nov. 27, 2002)
Maggie Fyffe, who lives on the office, "confirmed the plants
taken by police were cannabis. She added: 'It's not news. Most
people here wouldn't bat an eyelid. I told police I thought the
law had been relaxed.'"
Cannabis
use rises sharply among teenagers (Nov. 27, 2002)
"Increasing numbers of British teenagers are using cannabis,
a survey revealed."
Hemp
embassy to record cannabis raid accounts (Nov. 27, 2002)
"Nimbin's hemp embassy says an independent report is to be
compiled into an expected pre-Christmas police operation to eradicate
cannabis crops."
The
Killer Among Us (Nov. 27, 2002)
"What state officials aren't telling you about chronic wasting
disease -- the politics and blunders behind its spread and the
true dangers."
The
Drug and Terror Connection (Nov. 27, 2002)
"What we can control, however, is the money in drugs. Due
to prohibition, $1,000 worth of coca base from Colombia sells
for $25,000 here. If this market were turned legit, the profit
margin would drop like a stone, eventually driving out the criminal
element. (Remember alcohol prohibition?)"
Supreme
Court Slated to Reconsider Miranda (Nov. 27, 2002)
"Two officers, Andrew Salinas and Maria Pena, had stopped
to question a man they suspected, wrongly it turned out, of selling
drugs. When they heard the squeaky bike approach in the dark,
they called for the rider to stop." They wound up shooting
this guy almost to death, then aggresively interrogating him while
he lay screaming in agony with bullet holes through his face and
other body parts."
Marijuana
debate heats up (Nov. 27, 2002)
"John Walters, director of the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy, has been appointed by President Bush as deputy
drug czar. Walters believes he can help Americans by fighting
the war on drugs, but many pro-pot supporters say a czar who claims
he has never smoked pot cannot fully understand the pro-pot movement."
Dead
Man's Bluff (Nov. 27, 2002)
"For almost 15 years, Fidel [Castano] was at the center of
Colombia's chaos, enmeshed in its massacres, land grabs and cocaine
deals. He was the founding father of the country's right-wing
paramilitaries, which financed their fierce war against the leftists
with drug money. He was a self-made millionaire, amassing a cattle
empire and trafficking in illegal drugs and stolen art. He was
the man who had taken on one of the world's most fearsome drug
lords, Pablo Escobar, and helped snuff him out."
Methadone
treatment more than heroin replacement (Nov. 27, 2002)
"Freda is one of hundreds who line up in front of a county-owned
building for a daily drug fix. But this fix is legal."
The
Declaration of a Renewed American Independence (Nov. 27, 2002)
"There is a ‘War on Crime’ being fought in our country today,
and while a portion of this war is fought to protect us, in many
forms, including the ‘War on Drugs,’ it is also used as an excuse
to unbearably disrupt the lives of inoffensive Americans."
Bush
signs homeland bill (Nov. 27, 2002)
"Asa Hutchinson always said the war on drugs had a lot in
common with the war on terrorism. He will soon find out just how
much."
Balkans:
Officials Pledge To Tackle The 'Cancer' Of Organized Crime
(Nov. 27, 2002)
"Officials attending a European Union-led conference on organized
crime in Southeastern Europe have agreed to step up cooperation
in fighting corruption, smuggling, and illegal immigration in
the Balkans."
Swiss
join EU efforts to combat Balkan crime (Nov. 27, 2002)
"Experts see the Balkans as the main gateway to Europe for
drug trafficking, people smuggling, money laundering and weapons
smuggling."
But
Conspiracy, Folks … Don't gut conspiracy laws when we need them
most (Nov. 27, 2002)
"In Recio, a Nevada police officer stopped a truck driven
by two men—Manuel Sotelo and Ramiro Arce. The officer discovered
several million dollars' worth of marijuana and cocaine in the
truck."
THE
FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE COURT OF REVIEW CREATES A POTENTIAL
END RUN AROUND TRADITIONAL FOURTH AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS FOR CERTAIN
CRIMINAL LAW ENFORCEMENT WIRETAPS (Nov. 27, 2002)
All Charges Against
Kubbys Dismissed in Sechelt Court (Nov. 26, 2002)
"Steve and Michele Kubby were in court today to ask for the
return of their growing equipment and medicine, but the ended
up with more than they had bargained for."
UK-
Cannabis smoking by teenagers surges by 50 per cent (Nov.
26, 2002)
"Cannabis, which is being downgraded from a Class B to a
Class C drug, was the only illegal drug not considered to be "always
unsafe" by older children, the unit found."
Get
serious about drugs (Nov. 26, 2002)
"Now if you mention 'legalize hemp' you can be tossed into
the group called 'South Dakota Farmers Union.' Last week, the
SDFU voted to support the legalization and production of hemp."
What’s
he smoking? (Nov. 26, 2002)
"The White House drug czar’s ludicrous pot potency claim"
is looked at Daniel Forbes, again linked here at DrugWar.com due
to it's clear headed shredding of the Drug Czar's latest malarkey
about pot.
Weed
Killer (Nov. 26, 2002)
"Is the end near for Sonoma County's besieged medical marijuana
clinics?"
Police
Dog Boris 'Nose' His Stuff (Nov. 26, 2002)
Poor dog.
Top
cop takes policing personally (Nov. 26, 2002)
"Barely two weeks after becoming police commissioner in late
April, Johnson launched his multi-million dollar, overtime-driven
cleanup of the city's 300 worst drug corners by keeping cops on
the corner up to 24 hours a day."
The
new drug war (Nov. 26, 2002)
"In recent weeks, Dr. Harry Kipperman of the Milford Pediatric
Group said he has repeated warnings to 20 to 30 patients each
day that the prescriptions he writes may or may not be approved
when they get to the pharmacy."
A
powerless pawn in Colombia's war (Nov. 26, 2002)
"Imagine a presidential campaign in which a leading third-party
candidate is kidnapped, just as the campaign begins. The campaign
continues without her, and her major political opponent is elected
to office by a landslide."
Bottlenecks
arise in mock attack Bioterror 'event' checks readiness for high
school (Nov. 26, 2002)
"Officers with assault rifles and paramedics armed with hypodermic
needles invaded Mesa's Westwood High School on Thursday."
Lesser
of two 'evils' can save US a lot of trouble and lives (Nov.
26, 2002)
"Ever since the September 11 attacks, Republicans have used
the terrorist threat as a pretext to push a right-wing political
agenda," write Noam Chomsky. "For the congressional
elections, the strategy has diverted attention from the economy
to war. When the presidential campaign begins, Republicans surely
do not want people to be asking questions about their pensions,
jobs, healthcare and other matters."
A
one-way information highway (Nov. 26, 2002)
"The homeland security bill shows a government that wants
to learn more and divulge less."
Subverting
the UN (Nov. 26, 2002)
"These protesters realize that they do not want the United
States to initiate a pre-emptive and illegal war, but perhaps
they do not yet realize that they are also fighting to retain
an international order based on multilateralism, the rule of law
and the United Nations itself."
Pray
for the Homeland (Nov. 26, 2002)
"I find it incredible no one has really pointed this out;
that no one is expressing fear, or at least wariness, of this
monstrous new federal bureaucracy, which already has sweeping
secret powers."
Civil
liberties on hold lately (Nov. 25, 2002)
"The power granted by this ruling basically states that all
criminals may be tied to terrorists, so we need to eavesdrop on
them. Most notably would be drug dealers and drug traffickers,
who are painted as funding terrorist activity by many TV ads.
This ruling allows Ashcroft to now wiretap these traffickers and
use any information, whether terrorist or non-terrorist related,
to incriminate them."
City,
county war on drugs to be merged (Nov. 25, 2002)
"'There is competition between the Police Department and Sheriff's
Department on different individuals sometimes making bigger busts,'
Gulledge said. 'Sometimes we work against one another instead
of pulling the force together and work as one unit.'"
Legitimate
reasons to legalize cannabis (Nov. 25, 2002)
"If marijuana were to become legalized, it would have three
main functions: industrial use, medical use and personal/recreational
use. Before I get into the reasons I support its legalization,
I'll list a brief history of cannabis in the United States."
Two
arrested in large marijuana-growing operation (Nov. 25, 2002)
"The size and scope of a marijuana operation in Putnam County
shocked even the authorities who made the drug bust."
Cape
police report more marijuana cases this year over last (Nov.
25, 2002)
"'We'll ask people to leave if they start talking about that because
we don't want any trouble,' he said, standing next to issues of
High Times magazine on the counter. 'I've heard third-hand that
some people are calling us the 'drug store,' but we don't sell
anything illegal here. The pipes are a tool that buyers could
use for illegal things, but that doesn't mean they will.'"
Pentagon
Papers' Ellsberg Sees Deja Vu in Iraq (Nov. 25, 2002)
"A week after the October release of his [Ellsberg's] book,
"Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers," Congress
authorized President Bush to wage war if necessary to disarm Baghdad.
Ellsberg is busy doing what he wishes he had done earlier during
the Vietnam War -- sounding the alarm."
Lucio
Wins in Ecuador The Colonel of the People, President-Elect
(Nov. 25, 2002)
"The people have chosen the new president of Ecuador. The
winds of change have arrived to sweep the garbage away...."
Marijuana
continues to be a hazy topic (Nov. 24, 2002)
"Another reason marijuana might be dangerous is because it
shuts off the vomiting center in a person's body, McCracken said.
She said this could be dangerous when a person consumes high quantities
of alcohol and then smokes marijuana. The person may be suffering
from alcohol poisoning while they are unable to vomit." This
person has never tried to smoke pot while drunk on alcohol at
the same time, resulting in the spins, a common cause of vomiting.
Ruling
forces dismissal of medical marijuana case (Nov. 24, 2002)
"A new California Supreme Court ruling that enhanced medical
marijuana users' and growers' rights has, for the first time in
this county, resulted in dismissal of a court case."
Marijuana
arrest snares police officer (Nov. 24, 2002)
"A Philadelphia police officer on administrative leave was
indicted on conspiracy and drug charges in Portland for allegedly
trying to buy marijuana from two men who were under surveillance
by federal drug agents."
Police
Skeptical About Medical Marijuana (Nov. 24, 2002)
Should this really surprise anyone, when such a high percentage
of police department budgets are derived from waging war on pot
and other drugs? Of course there are police who are unhappy with
the idea of medical marijuana.
Stoudamire,
Wallace charged with marijuana possession (Nov. 24, 2002)
"Damon Stoudamire and Rasheed Wallace of the Portland Trail
Blazers were cited for possessing marijuana after the car they
were in was stopped for speeding early Friday."
Drugged
Driving Hopes (Nov. 23, 2002)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief Jeffrey Runge
"should be pulled over for hyperventilating under the influence
of false and misleading statistics" reports Steven Milloy
for FOX News on the new Drug Czar Walters touted Drugged Driving
Initiative, under a page heading, "Junk Science." He
also noted that "NHTSA's press release for the 'drugged driving'
initiative claims, 'Over eight million persons aged 12 or older
reported driving under the influence of illegal drugs during 2001.'"
Aged 12 and older? Driving?
Infinite
Jest- Rodney Dangerfield's Life Long Romance with Marijuana
(Nov. 23, 2002- Free LA Times registration required)
"He can no longer drink, because alcohol interferes with
his various medications. Ever the warhorse, Dangerfield will appear
on 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' tonight, his birthday,"
writes Paul Brownfield. "This was where he was a year ago,
on his 80th, when Dangerfield suffered a mild heart attack backstage.
Admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, he smoked some pot in
his room and ran afoul of the staff.:
Colombian
President Urges Drug Tests (Nov. 23, 2002)
The US is giving this raving lunatic billions in US taxdollars
and military aid. He wants all European and US citizens drug tested
on a mass scale, all of us, in order to win the War on Some Drugs
and dry up drug production in his country, where possession of
small amounts of both heroin and cocaine for personal use is legal.
He does want US and European executives to be the first tested
though, which is actually a great idea in that the War on Some
Drugs and Users would probably end immediately.
DEA
Recruits Prepare to Enter Frontline of War on Drugs (Nov.
23, 2002)
"They are the group in charge of making sure cocaine, heroin
and ecstasy stay out of our cities." If that is really what
the DEA has been doing, they've utterly failed for over three
decades now, wasting billions of taxdollars that could be spent
on actually helping the taxpayers themselves in some way.
Governor:
Financial crisis hurts drug fight (Nov. 23, 2002)
Never mind that the War on Some Drugs and Users is futile and
causing nothing but destruction and angst, and that there's a
severe lack of money in the state, Kentucky Governor Patton "urges
agencies to boost [anti-drug] programs despite limited funds,"
while babbling on about Oxycontin.
Complete
Interview with Jack Glaser (Nov. 23, 2002)
Attention being paid to racial profiling "really came into
prominence in the 80's and 90's with the advent of the drug war
and the aggressive police efforts to try to catch drug users and
dealers, especially people who were trying to deliver drugs along
American highways," notes Glaser in this online interview.
Toward
Drug Legalization (Nov. 23, 2002)
"That is the thesis maintained for almost ten years by Gustavo
de Greiff, former Attorney General of Colombia and former ambassador
of the same country in Mexico, who says that legalization doesn’t
have to produce a rise in the consumption of drugs and, in fact,
will end the violence, corruption and the progressive breakdown
of society caused by narco-trafficking."
Drug
war or vigilante rampage? (Nov. 23, 2002)
Another glaring result of prohibition is violence, in this case
the murders of these suspected dealers.
Saudi
Arabia links to Sept. 11 attacks went unexamined by FBI, CIA,
reports say (Nov. 23, 2002)
"In its draft report, the joint congressional committee staff
said investigators should have followed up on the meetings of
the four men to determine whether there was a Saudi connection
to the hijacking plot."
Apple
'It' Girl Breaks Silence (Nov. 23, 2002)
Ellen Feiss, the stoned looking Apple Computer commercial star,
has finally given an interview, apparently disclosing to a Brown
University newspaper just what drug she was on while filming,
which apparently was not pot.
The Week Online with DRCNet, issue #264
(Nov. 23, 2002)
Green Aid starts a defense fund for Ed Rosenthal, a California
town won't rat out medical marijuana users to the DEA, the Arkansas
Drug Car resigns after his DUI bust, and a whole lot of other
stories and articles can be found in this week's issue, as well
as that ever helpful and informative Reformers' Calendar.
Akha Childrens' Books are Now Finished
(Nov. 23, 2002)
Matthew McDaniel has finished the printing of 20 thousand childrens'
books for the Akha people in Thailand.
Safeguard
civil liberties (Nov. 23, 2002)
When even the USA Today begins editorializing about the dangers
of a government surveillance system run amok, it seems things
are getting really serious. "Even the courts, traditional
bulwarks against overzealous law enforcement, offer little protection
when the nation is battling a foreign enemy, as Chief Justice
William Rehnquist pointed out in a 1998 book. Courts, he wrote,
are reluctant to 'rule against government on an issue of national
security during wartime.'"
Our
big brother, John Ashcroft (Nov. 23, 2002)
"Now, the U.S. federal government may be listening in, making
sure you aren't cooking up a batch of Anthrax or building a pipe
bomb. They don't need proof you are a terrorist, they don't have
to tell anyone about it and anything they hear is fair game for
possible arrest."
Marijuana
Linked to Schizophrenia, Depression (Nov. 22, 2002)
These people have just got to be kidding, right? Unfortunately
no, the prohibitionists are dead serious about pushing this sort
of fallacious malarkey in trying to justify their insane War on
Pot and Pot Users.
‘Drug
Nation’ (Nov. 22, 2002)
Charles Bowden's new book "Down by the River," according
to this review at MSNBC, "is a wondrous feat of both reporting
and writing. In it, Bowden tackles the 1995 shotgun murder of
Bruno Jordan, the younger brother of Patrick Jordan, one of the
DEA’s rising stars."
Pot
Raids Spur Calls to Quit Working With DEA (Nov. 22, 2002-
Free Los Angeles Times registration required)
"Reacting to raids of California medical marijuana cooperatives
by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, several cities around
the state are pushing local police to stop cooperating with federal
agents."
Case
dropped, money kept Brunswick hangs on to funds from drug raids
(Nov. 22, 2002)
Acting in true prohibitionist insanity, "Money confiscated
by Brunswick County officials during a drug raid in which charges
were later dismissed does not have to be returned to the suspects,
according to a decision made this month by the N.C. Court of Appeals."
John
Walters Project (Nov. 22, 2002)
Head of the ONDCP, US Drug Czar John Walters got a lot of press
coverage during his recent visit to Canada to lecture the Canadians
on reform issues. His reception, as well as most of the press
coverage, was not exactly the polite, lap-dog response the prohibitionists
have grown used to here in the US. Included in this selection
is an interview with a guy who was smoking hash just feet from
Walters in a Vancouver cafe. Great stuff here.
Stop
marijuana trade, U.S. drug czar urges (Nov. 22, 2002)
"$6-billion worth of highly potent B.C. product flows south
each year, director says."
Propaganda
Techniques (Nov. 22, 2002)
How to utilize propaganda to further one's aims.
U.S.
Hopes to Check Computers Globally (Nov. 22, 2002)
More news from the Big Brother saga currently underway.
New
York State Creates Its Own "Operation TIPS" Snitch Hotline
(Nov. 22, 2002)
"Although some in Congress realized the chilling implications
of this Stasi-esque snitch line, the politicians of New York State
apparently lack that insight."
Pentagon
to Track American Consumer Purchases (Nov. 22, 2002)
"A massive database that the government will use to monitor
every purchase made by every American citizen is a necessary tool
in the war on terror, the Pentagon said Wednesday."
Surveillance
tactics used by FBI remain 'mysterious,' 'quiet' (Nov. 22,
2002)
"They have broken into homes, offices, hotel rooms and automobiles.
Copied private computer files. Installed hidden cameras. Listened
with microphones in one couple's bedroom for more than a year.
Rummaged through luggage. Eavesdropped on telephone conversations.
It's the FBI, operating with permission from a secretive U.S.
court in a high-stakes effort pitting the nation's premier law
enforcement agency against the world's spies and terrorists."
Unsolicited
U.S. advice on defence irks McCallum (Nov. 22, 2002)
"Defence Minister John McCallum says Washington should mind
its own business and let Canada decide how much to spend on its
military." So how about all that advice on how Canada wages
the War on Some Drugs and Users?
Comedian
has his own signs for the times (Nov. 21, 2002)
"In the following interview, [Bill] Maher answers questions
about his tour, the government's war on drugs and missing 'Politically
Incorrect.'"
Free
trade in drugs (Nov. 21, 2002)
"Marijuana and cocaine are economic mainstays on the Paraguayan-Brazilian
border." DrugWar.com reposts this link to Mike Ceaser's recent
graphic report on serious border troubles between Brazil and Paraguay
due to rampant, prohibition empowered cartels waging their own
bloody Drug War battles, against each other.
Met
warns London on cusp of drugs war (Nov. 21, 2002)
"The head of drugs strategy at the Metropolitan police warned
yesterday that the capital was "on the cusp" of turf wars between
gangs from rival communities who are wrestling for control of
the heroin and cocaine trade."
Funds
help Hmong teens (Nov. 21, 2002)
Children of the CIA's "secret" opium-producing Laotian
soldiers during the Vietnam war now transplanted to the US are
suffering many problems trying to fit in to American society.
Zaragoza
Bridge tests contraband detector (Nov. 21, 2002)
"A new high-technology system that uses fast moving subatomic
particles to detect contraband, ranging from illegal drugs to
explosives, will be in place by summer at the Zaragoza Bridge."
U.S.
may punish Colombia air force unit -paper (Nov. 21, 2002)
"The U.S. has contributed nearly $2 billion to Colombia over
the last several years to wage war on drug trafficking and rebels
in the Andean nation."
Afghanistan
adrift politically, economically (Nov. 21, 2002)
"But drug use, pedophilia and prostitution, almost non-existent
under the Taliban, have re-emerged with the market economy."
Ideas
fly in war against drugs (Nov. 21, 2002)
"Decriminalizing illegal drugs is not an option, Carnevale
said. For one reason, the federal government will not allow it.
Carnevale said decriminalizing drugs is akin to surrendering to
the problem instead of addressing it."
Seminar
to Bolster Free Expression in Colombia (Nov. 21, 2002)
"Columbia is considered one of the worst places to be a journalist,
with 29 journalists murdered in the last decade. The Colombian
press has been under siege for reporting on drug trafficking,
corruption and violence, and many now are going into exile as
the country's civil conflicts intensify and government support
for the press is wavering."
Falsely
Accused Former Officer Speaks Out (Nov. 21, 2002)
"Imagine this: The War on Drugs adversely effects innocent
police officers too."
Drug
arrest at San Luis downplayed as isolated (Nov. 21, 2002)
"The arrest of the top immigration official at the San Luis
port of entry has been called an isolated case - one sad story
of a slide into drug addiction."
Too
Many Secrets (Nov. 21, 2002)
"Why does the White House sometimes seem so determined to
close the door on the people's right to know what their government
is doing?"
Bush's
War on the Sick and Dying (NOv. 21, 2002)
"As most of you know by now, my photo went all over the country
as the first patient to receive medical cannabis from the city
officials of Santa Cruz on September 17; I assume the organizers
pushed me up front because of my age, my white beard, my wheelchair
and my general resemblence to a colorful Gothic ruin," writes
Robert Anton Wilson.
Breaking
on Through Again (Nov. 21, 2002)
"Ram Dass wraps his expanded mind around the last of the
truly taboo subjects--death and dying."
The
Homeland Security Monstrosity (Nov. 21, 2002)
"The list of dangerous and unconstitutional powers granted
to the new Homeland Security department is lengthy," writes
US Representative Ron Paul, (R- Tx).
The
Truth About Forced Vaccinations (Nov. 21, 2002)
The US government, responsible for secretly testing illegal drugs
and horrendous biological agents on its own people again and again,
has now given itself the right to force us all to accept vaccinations
they decree to be necessary or the people will face repressive
legal repercussions.
Information
Awareness Office Goes Primetime (Nov. 21, 2002)
The Guerrilla News Network takes a hard look at the new Information
Awareness Office.
WAR,
WHATEVER (Nov. 21, 2002)
"George Bush's top security adviser last night admitted the
US would attack Iraq even if UN inspectors fail to find weapons."
Amendment
to Homeland Security Bill Defeated (Nov. 21, 2002)
"The provisions targeted by the Democrats would benefit businesses
in a number of ways, including limiting legal liability for companies
that produce vaccines, provide airport security equipment and
services and develop anti-terrorism technologies."
Another
Coup Failed in Venezuela (Nov. 21, 2002)
Yet another coup against oil producting Venezuela has been exposed.
True
Majority- Your Eyes and Ears in Congress (Nov. 21, 2002)
Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's fame has put together one of those
websites that give some hope in the American Way, offering news
and alerts to Congressional and other government actions.
Police
seize millions in marijuana (Nov. 20, 2002)
"Several trucks were needed to remove millions of dollars
worth of cannabis plants seized by police during raids in the
NSW Blue Mountains."
Pine
Bluff trio arrested for possession of marijuana (Nov. 20,
2002)
"Three Pine Bluff men have been charged with possession with
intent to deliver. Their arrest stems from a traffic violation
on I-30."
Digeridoo
maker jailed for possessing marijuana (Nov. 20, 2002)
"A 49-year-old man described as one the most recorded indigenous
musicians in Australia has been found guilty of possessing a commercial
quantity of cannabis." Arms dealing by rich white guys is
cool, but indigenous musicians dealing pot is not?
Fewer
N.S. teens smoking tobacco, but marijuana use constant: study
(Nov. 20, 2002)
So once again, proof that real education works, while lying doesn't.
Another
medical marijunana user arrested, for having too much pot
(Nov. 20, 2002)
"Todd Gellman, 40, was arrested last week after a sheriff's
deputies' raid. They said 33 pounds of packaged marijuana were
found along with 70 plants growing in two homes under lamps."
Sebastopol
passes medical marijuana proposal (Nov. 20, 2002)
"The city council here passed a resolution making it police
department policy not to report medical marijuana cases to the
federal Drug Enforcement Administration and affirming the council's
support of the use of medical marijuana by authorized patients."
The Function
of the Drug War (Nov. 20, 2002)
"The function of the Drug War is to create the Drug Crisis.
The Drug Crisis involves billions of dollars in hidden cash flow.
Addicted to this flow of money are law enforcement agencies, drug
producers and distributors, covert agencies who use it as a source
of black funding, and politicians and bankers who are hired to
protect the drug revenues. Addiction to drug revenues requires
that the drug war be fought so as to be lost. Failure thus becomes
the criterion of success," write J. Orlin Grabbe in this
astute and well stated explaination as to why the War continues
endlessly.
CCLE Publishes Updated Report on Salvia
Divinorum (Nov. 20, 2002)
Find out what Salvia Divinorum is, and what is going on with prohibitionist
plans to outlaw this unique and special plant.
The Myth
of Potent Pot (Nov. 20, 2002)
"The drug czar's latest reefer madness: He claims that marijuana
is 30 times more powerful than it used to be," reports Daniel
Forbes in this shredding of the US Drug Czar's latest bologna
about marijuana.
Innocent Drivers Could
Suffer from White House Drugged Driving Initiative,
Say Leading Drug Policy Experts (Nov. 20, 2002)
"Under the initiative, a driver who tests positive for illegal
drugs, regardless of when they were taken, could lose his driver’s
license and face severe criminal penalties, even if not actually
driving under the influence."
Former
JAG: Military Aid in D.C. Sniper Pursuit May Have Broken Law
(Nov. 20, 2002)
"A longtime expert in military jurisprudence contends Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld likely violated the law last month when
he directed U.S. Northern Command -- the military headquarters
for homeland defense -- to help track down the Washington area
snipers."
Chipping
Away at Liberty (Nov. 20, 2002)
"The decision does not actually make it any easier for the
government to conduct wiretaps or searches. But it grants the
government one more sphere in which it gets to unilaterally choose
the rules under which it will pursue the war on terrorism."
Which has lead Attorney General John Ashcroft to Praise
the Surveillance Ruling.
War
crimes arrest blow to Iraqi opposition (Nov. 20, 2002)
"Danish police arrested last night an exiled Iraqi general
tipped as a possible replacement for President Saddam Hussein.
He faces charges that he was responsible for killing thousands
of Kurds in a chemical weapons attack 14 years ago."
'Catch'
for this crew is bales of cocaine (Nov. 19, 2002)
"'During this tumultuous time in our nation's history, as our
battle against terrorists moves forward, an equally important
yet less-publicized war continues thousands of miles from our
shores -- the war on drugs,' Raimondo said." How about we
simply quit wasting money and lives in this idiotic, wasteful,
destructive War, a war that causes ever so much damage to ourselves
and society as a whole that any use of any drug has ever done?
It seems that tactic is just too sensible and intelligent for
prohibitionists to even consider.
DEA
plans to work with community groups (Nov. 19, 2002)
"Along with enforcement of drug laws, the DEA will provide
personnel to help local agencies work with churches and community
groups to combat drug use before it starts and try to cut off
the supply line for the addicts who buy drugs. This is certainly
a different approach for the DEA, which just two years ago got
a new face of its own when Congressman Asa Hutchinson of northwest
Arkansas resigned to take over its reigns."
Cannabis
kit shop opens (Nov. 19, 2002)
"Marijuana seeds and cultivating equipment are being sold
over the counter in Cambridge, just yards from a drug addiction
clinic."
Boise
brothers arrested in marijuana case (Nov. 19, 2002)
"Two Boise brothers were arrested this past weekend on marijuana
charges after detectives seized 25 plants and a half pound of
pot from their Cassia Street home."
Agents
find marijuana hidden in tractor tires (Nov. 19, 2002)
"The bust was made Friday as the truck driven by Jose Manuel
Arreola-Marron, 48, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, was being inspected
at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo."
Brother
convicted of murder in long-term marijuana enterprise (Nov.
19, 2002)
"A 36-year-old man accused of running a large marijuana enterprise
with his four brothers was convicted Monday in federal court of
murder, weapon possession and drug conspiracy." Prohibition
obviously helps keep the trade out of the hands of cut-throat
criminals.
Four
years after player's positive to marijuana, FIFA ends up looking
dopey (Nov. 19, 2002)
"Australian soccer officials covered up a player testing
positive to marijuana four years ago because the drug was not
on FIFA's list of banned substances."
So,
you thought you were safe settling for the decaf (Nov. 19,
2002)
"Decaffeinated coffee can give the heart every bit as big
a jolt as the full-strength equivalent, according to new research
which suggests a mystery ingredient of coffee has yet to be discovered."
Ruling
expands surveillance powers of Justice Department (Nov. 19,
2002)
But don't worry, they'll never abuse these "new" powers,
and will only spy on terrorist criminal types.
CIA on Campus
(Nov. 19, 2002)
The CIA has spent one heck of a lot of time on US campuses.
Pursue
the Truth About Sept. 11 (Nov. 19, 2002)
"The White House sure was stalling on this one, citing concerns
about possible leaks that could compromise ongoing intelligence
work. An investigation, it claimed, would distract authorities
from the fight against terrorism. Isn't that just a touch convenient,
not to mention suspicious? Or am I just being paranoid?"
So asks Antonia Zerbisias in this blunt editorial.
CIA
tried in 1999 to recruit associate of 9-11 hijackers in Germany
(Nov. 19, 2002)
But the CIA knew nothing of the impending terrorist attacks. Hmmm.
Drug
dealer who admitted smuggling cannabis resin from Spain to sell
here set for sentencing (Nov. 19, 2002)
Poor guy.
On
the border (Nov. 18, 2002)
"It is naive to think that corruption stops at the border
or that the problem is merely American demand for drugs and Mexican
willingness to supply it. The Mexican police are notoriously corrupt,
but drugs wouldn't get through without complicit American officials."
Colombian
Town Rises Up in Outrage (Nov. 18, 2002)
"The townspeople who went on a rampage here hold the AUC
responsible for killing Eugenio Escalante, 47, a favorite son
whose body turned up soon after he met with several paramilitary
leaders who wanted him to get out of next month's mayoral elections.
The AUC has deep ties to Colombia's political and financial establishment."
Bribery
a threat at border (Nov. 18, 2002)
"The arrest of the top immigration official at the San Luis
port of entry has been called an isolated case - one sad story
of a slide into drug addiction. But the arrest of Lisa Stubbs
last week adds to a growing list of corruption cases in San Luis,
according to the U.S. Attorney's Office."
Suffering
in Camelot JFK Hid Health Problems, Took Drugs For Pain (Nov.
18, 2002)
"President John F. Kennedy's medical records reveal that
he had suffered health problems since childhood, and used an arsenal
of drugs, including painkillers and stimulants, to treat various
medical conditions during his presidency...The medical records
reveal that Kennedy variously took codeine, Demerol and methadone
for pain; Ritalin, a stimulant; meprobamate and librium for anxiety;
barbiturates for sleep; thyroid hormone; and injections of a blood
derivative, gamma globulin, a medicine that combats infections."
Prescription
drug abuse on the rise nationwide (Nov. 18, 2002)
"Prescription drug abuse has been likened to a modern-day
plague, affecting more than 6 million Americans. The homemaker
next door or the high-profile politician can fall prey to medications
perceived to be safe."
Bush’s
double standard: protecting corporations, victimizing workers
(Nov. 18, 2002)
"These provisions were added to the bill after the November
5 election, when the White House decided to use the revived bill
as a vehicle for rewarding some of its most important corporate
supporters, such as the drug manufacturers."
Goal
of drug summit is to develop strategy to fight meth in Missouri
(Nov. 18, 2002)
"Springfield Police Chief Lynn Rowe agreed that drugs, especially
meth, can't be tackled by police alone. Rowe says that without
a plan for reducing demand, police are put 'in the unenviable
position of locking up people that can't get off an addiction
cycle' and that 'we'll never be able to arrest our way out of
this problem.'"
Nazis
on speed - new report says drug could have changed history
(Nov. 18, 2002)
This article seems to be asserting that some kinds of speed-taking
lead to positive results, at least in terms of war and soldiers
being able to carry on killing byond all normal endurance levels.
Czar
Wars (Nov. 18, 2002)
"In the end, it didn’t matter what we serfs believed. The
czar had not come to debate drug policy. He doesn’t believe debate
is even possible. He thinks the government’s side — which I would
argue is mindless, hysterical, absolutist, puritanical, inconsistent,
cruel, totalitarian and embarrassing — is always right and the
other side’s arguments have no credibility," writes Bill
Steigerwald of the uselessness of debating with the dogmatic prohibitionist
Drug Czar John Walters.
Economic
highs in a coffee joint (Nov. 18, 2002)
This is a look at the High Times Cannabis Cup competition, coming
up in Amsterdam in a week's time.
No
high, no fly in Drug War (Nov. 18, 2002)
"An airline is cancelling flights to Britain - because not
enough seats are being filled by DRUG smugglers!"
Savage
speaks on sex, drugs and politics (Nov. 18, 2002)
"'The U.S. has spent over $75 million on the drug war to decrease
the availability of pot,' he added. 'Anyone here having a hard
time getting their hands on pot in Madison?'"
Home
marijuana growing operation discovered (Nov. 18, 2002)
"A search warrant executed Thursday at the home of a Scott
County couple uncovered the largest indoor marijuana growing operation
seen in Southeast Missouri in more than a dozen years, according
to Kevin Glaser of the SEMO Drug Task Force."
Police
charge two in Jersey City marijuana deal (Nov. 18, 2002)
Cops grab almost $400 worth of pot. Wow.
Pentagon
creates a Big Brother so Uncle Sam can keep his eye on us
(Nov. 17, 2002)
"In a development which has provoked outrage across America's
political spectrum, the IAO has begun work on a global computer
surveillance network which will allow unfettered access to personal
details currently held in government and commercial databases
around the world." And even worse, it will be headed by John
Poindexter, one of the traitorous felon masterminds who thought
up selling missiles to Iran for the Iran-Contra criminal enterprise.
Ibogaine Conference Updates
(Nov. 17, 2002)
Check out the upcoming conferences on the topic of Ibogaine and
its use in treating addiction.
The Week Online with DRCNet,
issue #263 (Nov. 17, 2002)
Lying cops, pain doctors raided and prosecuted, more lying cops,
the MPP drug law reform conference in Anaheim, more lying corrupt
cops, and lots more stories, as well as the ever useful Reformers'
Calendar, can be found in this week's issue.
Uribe
Urges Tighter Border Security (Nov. 17, 2002)
"Colombia's president urged the leaders of neighboring countries
Saturday to help tighten security and deny access to drug traffickers
and guerrilla fighters."
Cocaine
inroads damage Peru forests (Nov. 17, 2002)
So what do all the toxic poisons the US and others are spraying
in the region to combat the coca plants do to the the forests?
Columnist
makes fallacious claim (Nov. 17, 2002)
"Pakistan's military secret service invented the idea of
using drug money for terrorist activities. In 1994, Pakistani
newspapers published numerous accounts where the secret service
and Pakistan army were involved in drug trafficking," writes
Saboor Raheel in this commentary. He has GOT to be kidding. Think
LAOS in the 60s and 70s for crying out loud, where US CIA planes,
(from Air America) shipped opium all over the freakin place so
their private army could wage illegal war, or the CIA working
hand in glove with cocaine and other drug shipping cartels in
Central and South America, way back in the 80s. This is ignoring
the benefits of legal opium. Legalize it all and remove the power
and profits from the hands of cartels. How simple can it be?
Cannabis
claims go up in smoke (Nov. 16, 2002)
"The claim that smoking three cannabis joints a day would
damage the lungs as much as 20 cigarettes a day needs its own
health warning."
Tox
lab says brownies contained ‘cannabis substance’ (Nov. 17,
2002)
"The seventh grader brought the brownies to school and was
passing them out to several classmates when the school police
officer intervened and confiscated them, said Vance."
Marijuana
movement rolls into the mainstream (Nov. 17, 2002)
"Antidrug activists say they've noticed that the marijuana
movement has gotten a makeover and has seen widespread success
among mainstream voters, but they warn the public should still
be wary."
Ex-Stone
Wyman: Stop Using My Name (Nov. 17, 2002)
Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones has apparently lost his mind.
The
deceit on Wall Street reaches right to the top (Nov. 17, 2002)
"As the latest in a long line of Wall Street morality plays,
the one involving Sanford I. Weill, the chairman of Citigroup,
and Jack B. Grubman, his firm's former star telecommunications
analyst, is unfolding in depressingly familiar fashion."
But no arrests so far it seems. Pot smoking and selling is really
bad, ripping off thousands of investors and taxpayers is not so
bad.
Bolivian
president reaffirms commitment to coca eradication, seeks trade
agreement with U.S. (Nov. 16, 2002)
"Sanchez de Lozada said his government is examining its drug
strategy, but that it was still seeking to convince coca growers
'to do something else, like produce T-shirts for the United States.'"
No
mom-and-pop outfit (Nov. 16, 2002)
"Enid Police Chief Rick West recently declared war on drugs
and has increased the size and personnel of the narcotics unit
to enforce drug laws."
Free
trade in drugs (Nov. 16, 2002)
The War on Some Drugs and Users is endlessly waged, "the
drug trade, however, shows no sign of slowing down" in Paraguay
and Brazil.
Central
Asia: Russia Urges Cooperation In Fight Against Drug Trafficking
(Nov. 16, 2002)
More War on Some Drugs, more power to the cartels.
Legalize
heroin: End the war on drugs (Nov. 16, 2002)
Alan Randell is not happy with the War, and says so in the letter
to the editors at the Montreal Gazette.
Sell
Out? Me? (Nov. 16, 2002)
"Elton is so practiced at his art that he is then able to
launch effortlessly into an old sketch about the terminology of
his own 'drug of choice:' 'For the last twenty-five years I have
been experimenting with lager; I am a lager user. If you use enough
lager, if you 'do' enough pints you see this dazzling display
of colour and shape in front of your eyes. But unlike with other
drugs, with lager the display's still there on the carpet in the
morning.'"
The
human cost of our fruitless war on drugs (Nov. 16, 2002)