HI.
I have permission to repost anything from this organization that I get.
The article in part 3 is typical of dictators, not democracies. When dictators get results they do not want, they fire the scientist and ruin their reputation.
And, of course, the corrupt cop stories are corrupting. lol..
bvyee,
Ed Da Head.
Drug War Chronicle, Issue #607 -- 11/6/09
Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith@drcnet.org
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607
A Publication of Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)
David Borden, Executive Director, borden@drcnet.org
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"
LAST CHANCE: Help StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) Win $50,000 in
America's Giving Challenge! (ENDS TOMORROW)
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/stopthedrugwar_in_americas_giving_challenge
Table of Contents:
1. FEATURE: MAINE VOTERS APPROVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES
Maine has become the latest state to approve state-licensed
medical marijuana dispensaries. It joins New Mexico and Rhode
Island. But locally-allowed (or not) dispensaries are the rule
in California, Colorado, and Washington. Both paths have their
pluses and minuses.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/maine_approves_medical_marijuana_dispensaries
2. FEATURE: VETERANS INCARCERATED AND IGNORED WHEN THEY COULD BE
GETTING HELP, REPORT FINDS
Nearly a quarter of a million American veterans were behind bars
in 2004, many of them for drug abuse-related offenses, a new
report finds. While the military, the Veterans Administration,
and other agencies are taking some steps to help them, there is
much more that could -- and should -- be done.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/veterans_substance_abuse_treatment_incarceration
3. EUROPE: BRITISH SCIENCE VS. POLITICS BATTLE EXPLODES AS TOP
DRUG ADVISOR FIRED FOR HERESY
The British government seems to think that if drug policy is not
supported by science, you need to trash the science -- and the
scientist -- not the failed policy. It fired a leading voice for
science- and evidence-based drug policies last Friday for what
amounted to heresy against official dogma.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/british_drug_advisor_nutt_fired_for_heresy
4. MARIJUANA: COLORADO SKI TOWN VOTES TO LEGALIZE IT, MEASURE
PASSES WITH 73%
Breckenridge, Colorado, a Rocky Mountain ski town, just voted
overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana under municipal ordinance.
Denver did that in 2005.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/breckenridge_colorado_marijuana_legalization_vote
5. LATIN AMERICA: MEXICO DRUG WAR UPDATE
No break in Mexico's prohibition-related violence as the death
toll since December 2006, when President Calderon called in the
army, has now topped 15,000. The latest victims include a US
soldier gunned down in a Ciudad Juarez strip club with five
other people.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/mexico_drug_war_update
6. THE BORDER: US BEGINS TURNING BUSTED SMUGGLERS OVER TO MEXICO
FOR PROSECUTION
For years, federal prosecutors on the US-Mexican border have
been so swamped with smuggling cases that they refuse to
prosecute busts under 500 pounds. Local prosecutors can't handle
the overflow, either, so now, the US is sending busted Mexican
pot smugglers back home to be prosecuted.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/US_Mexico_border_marijuana_smuggling_prosecution
7. DRUG LEGALIZATION: SENATOR PUSHES AMENDMENT TO CENSOR ANY
TALK OF THAT
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) is floating an amendment to Jim
Webb's bill to create a commission on criminal justice reforms.
Grassley's amendment would bar any talk of legalization or
decriminalization.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/grassley_censorship_amendment_legalization
8. LAW ENFORCEMENT: THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
The drug war corrodes the integrity of law enforcement in
multiple ways, as we see this week: Testilying, sexual
extortion, thievery, and the usual just plain old corrupt
practices.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/police_drug_corruption
9. MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION: CALIFORNIA POLL OF PRIMARY VOTERS
FINDS NARROW MAJORITY SAY KEEP IT ILLEGAL
A new poll of likely California primary voters has a majority in
favor of maintaining marijuana prohibition, but the pollster
said that should not be read as suggesting legalization
initiatives will necessarily go down to defeat. Different
polling questions and populations provide different results, he
said.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/california_marijuana_legalization_poll_capitol_weekly_probolsky
10. EUROPE: DUTCH CANNABIS CAFE OWNER ON TRIAL OVER AMOUNT OF
POT ON HAND
Dutch authorities at all levels are tightening the screws on the
country's famous cannabis coffee shops, and now a prominent
coffee shop owner is on trial for violating the rules about how
much he can have on hand.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/dutch_cannabis_coffee_shop_owner_trial
11. LAST CHANCE: HELP STOPTHEDRUGWAR.ORG (DRCNET) WIN $50,000
IN AMERICA'S GIVING CHALLENGE
"America's Giving Challenge" is offering prizes ranging from
$500 to $50,000 to nonprofits who get the largest number of
gifts from supporters between now and November 7 (TOMORROW). Any
gift of $10 or higher -- made through the "Causes" program,
which is linked in to Facebook -- counts equally toward the
prize, and gifts can be made up to once a day.
StoptheDrugWar.org is a contestant, and we're asking for your
help by participating and by spreading the word.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/stopthedrugwar_in_americas_giving_challenge
12. WEEKLY: THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of
years past.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/drug_war_history
(Not subscribed? Visit http://stopthedrugwar.org to sign up
today!)
================
1. Feature: Maine Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/maine_approves_medical_marijuana_dispensaries
Voters in Maine Tuesday approved Question 5, the Maine Medical
Marijuana Act
(http://www.mainepatientsrights.org/Petition%20MEDICAL%20MARIJUANA.pdf),
an initiative instructing the state government to set up a
system of state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. The
measure passed with 59% of the vote.
Sponsored by Maine Citizens for Patient Rights
(http://www.mainepatientsrights.org) (MCPR) and the Maine
Medical Marijuana Policy Initiative
(http://www.mainecommonsense.org -- MMMPI), and funded primarily
by the Drug Policy Alliance (http://www.drugpolicy.org), the
Maine Medical Marijuana Act will:
* Establish a system of nonprofit dispensaries which would be
overseen and tightly regulated by the state;
* Establish a voluntary identification card for medical
marijuana patients and caregivers;
* Protect patients and caregivers from arrest, search and
seizure unless there is suspicion of abuse;
* Create new protections for qualified patients and providers
in housing, education, employment and child custody;
* Allow patients with Lou Gehrig's disease and Alzheimer's
disease access to medical marijuana;
* Require the Department of Health and Human Services to
develop a procedure for expanding the list of conditions for
which marijuana can be used; and
* Keep current allowable marijuana quantities at 2.5 ounces and
six plants.
"We weren't surprised at all by the outcome," said Jonathan
Leavitt of Maine Citizens for Patients Rights, who had predicted
weeks ago the measure would cruise to victory. "We would have
done a lot better in most elections, but this time there was a
big turnout from the hard-core religious right," he said,
referring to the heated battle over a gay marriage referendum
that went down to defeat the same day.
"We're really tickled," said Bruce Mirken, communications
director for the Marijuana Policy Project (http://www.mpp.org),
which also supported the campaign. "This was a state election
with some controversial issues, but medical marijuana wasn't one
of them. Oh, the usual suspects objected, but nobody was
listening. This suggests the comfort level with medical
marijuana is growing by leaps and bounds."
Some long-time Maine marijuana activists, such as the Maine
Vocals (http://www.mainevocals.net), had joined the "usual
suspects" in opposing the measure. They argued that the measure
gave too much power to the state. But their complaints appeared
to have little impact on the electoral outcome.
"It's great to see Maine leapfrog other states in adopting
cutting-edge medical marijuana legislation," said Jill Harris,
DPA managing director for public policy. "What's especially nice
is that the medical marijuana guidelines recently issued by the
US Department of Justice provide reassurance to Maine officials
that they can implement the new law without fear of reprisal by
federal authorities."
"This is a dramatic step forward, the first time that any
state's voters have authorized the state government to license
medical marijuana dispensaries," said MPP executive director Rob
Kampia. "Coming a decade after passage of Maine's original
marijuana law, this is a huge sign that voters are comfortable
with these laws, and also a sign that the recent change of
policy from the Obama administration is having a major impact."
Maine becomes the sixth state to allow medical marijuana
dispensaries, and, as Kampia noted, the first one to approve
state-licensed dispensaries through a popular vote. New Mexico
and Rhode Island approved state-licensed dispensaries through
the legislative process, while California, Colorado, and
Washington adopted locally-approved dispensaries through the
initiative process.
In New Mexico, there is currently one state-licensed medical
marijuana dispensary; in Rhode Island none yet exist. In
Colorado, by contrast, there are nearly a hundred, while in
California, the number of locally-permitted (or not)
dispensaries is somewhere shy of 2000. In Washington State, the
number of dispensaries is much lower, but still higher than in
states where dispensaries are licensed by the state.
"The trend toward licensed dispensaries is a good thing," said
Kris Hermes, communications director for Americans for Safe
Access (http://www.safeaccessnow.org), the nation's largest
medical marijuana advocacy group. "Back in 1996, when the first
initiative was passed in California, that initiative included
language calling on the state and federal governments to work
together to create a plan for distribution. But because the
federal government was not only unhelpful, but actually working
to actively undermine medical marijuana distribution in
California during the Bush years, people at the local level were
forced to develop a model they could advance. What we now have
in California is a local model of distribution," he noted.
While locally-approved dispensaries appear to provide access to
medical marijuana to greater numbers of people, they are also
subject to more harassment and even prosecution by the state or
even the federal government. The Obama administration has
declared it will not go after dispensaries operating in accord
with state law, but in states like California and Colorado,
where local prosecutors determine legality -- not a state law --
dispensary operators could still see themselves prosecuted by
the feds.
One such incident occurred in September in San Diego, where
hard-line county District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis led joint
state and federal raids against dispensaries, and at least two
people were charged with federal marijuana distribution
offenses. Similarly, the Los Angeles county prosecutor has
warned that he considers almost all LA-area dispensaries to be
illegal.
"That's the fundamental difference Maine, New Mexico, and Rhode
Island on one hand, and California and Colorado on the other,"
said MPP's Mirken. "The latter have a large number of
dispensaries, but they are operating in a grey area. In
California, we've seen the feds justify participating in raids
where local DAs say the dispensaries aren't legal."
That could continue to happen, even with the Obama edict, Mirken
said. "Until the courts settle these issues, it's not shocking
that the feds might defer to local prosecutors," he said.
"There's something to be said for legal clarity."
What is needed, said Hermes, is federal acceptance of medical
marijuana. "As long as the federal government continues to deny
medical marijuana's efficacy and refuses to develop a national
plan that goes beyond law enforcement, states will have to
develop their own laws to deal with the issue of distribution,"
he said. "Having said that, we continue to work with the Obama
administration to develop that national policy, and hopefully,
one day soon we will have a policy that obviates the need for
individual policies at the state level."
In the meantime, it's up to the states. In Maine, that means
getting the state-licensed dispensary system up and running.
"The process starts when the governor signs it into law, which
we expect shortly," said Leavitt. "He will then set up a task
force to pull together appropriate oversight for the new law. We
hope to be part of that stakeholder process. I think it will
take at least three or four months before we actually have
functioning dispensaries."
================
2. Feature: Veterans Incarcerated and Ignored When They Could Be
Getting Help, Report Finds
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/veterans_substance_abuse_treatment_incarceration
Roughly 200,000 US veterans are in prison or jail, many of them
there because of substance abuse or mental health issues,
according to a new report released Wednesday. The report
outlines the problem and suggests reforms that could ease the
plight of American soldiers returning from the war zone and
trying to make the transition back to civilian society.
According to the report, 140,000 vets were in prison in 2004,
with tens of thousands more serving time in jails. Nearly half
(46%) of vets doing time in federal prison were incarcerated for
drug offenses, while 15% of those in state prison were,
including 5.6% doing time for simple possession. Three out five
(61%) of incarcerated vets met the criteria for substance
dependence or abuse.
The report, Healing a Broken System: Veterans Battling Addiction
and Incarceration
(http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/veterans2009.cfm), comes at a
critical time. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers currently
deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US faces a mounting
challenge in caring for returning vets.
Many are returning home damaged by their experiences. According
to the report, 30% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans report
symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic
brain injury, depression, mental illness, or other cognitive
disability. These medical conditions, if left untreated, can
contribute to problematic drug use, addiction, and fatal
overdoses, as well as homelessness, suicide, and criminality,
particular violations of the drug laws.
While the study mentions 200,000 vets behind bars, the number is
most likely much higher. That's because owing to problems in
data collection -- a problem in itself -- the last year for
which hard numbers on vets behind bars is available was 2004.
Since then, more than a million more vets have returned from
their deployments and mustered out.
The report had its genesis about a year and a half ago, when the
Drug Policy Alliance (http://www.drugpolicy.org -- DPA) teamed
up with a classroom of law students at Northeastern University
in Boston to investigate the obstacles veterans were facing in
obtaining adequate access to mental health and substance abuse
services. In addition to a series of surprising and dramatic
findings, the report also includes a list of specific
recommendations about how to improve services for vets suffering
mental health and substance abuse issues.
"We learned that far too many returning vets are falling victim
to the war on drugs because of barriers to effective treatment,"
said DPA's Dan Abrahamson at a Wednesday press conference.
"There are nearly a quarter million vets behind bars right now
for crimes motivated in part by mental health or drug addiction
problems. One third of returning vets report symptoms of
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Also, vets suffer from
traumatic brain injury, depression, and mental illness at higher
rates than normal. All of those are contributory factors to
substance abuse and drug addiction, as well as overdose,
homelessness, suicide, and being arrested for a non-violent drug
offense."
In the battle theater, soldiers are supposed to function despite
high stress, and the military is more than willing to prescribe
them whatever it takes to keep them fighting. But it's a
different story when the vets come home.
"Service-related drug dependency is being talked about quite a
bit in the veterans community, but is not well understood
outside the military," said Tom Tarantino, an Iraq war veteran
and now legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
of America (http://www.iava.org). "The ease of obtaining
prescriptions in theater is staggering," he explained. "I know
crack dealers who are more discriminating about issuing drugs
than some of the medics I saw in Iraq. It's alarming how many
people were just given anti-depressants instead of asking
whether they were really fit for duty," said the veterans'
lobbyist.
"Sometimes, it's just a matter of expediency and life in a
combat zone, but then you have vets coming back from an
environment where meds are very loosely prescribed and they are
confronted with a medical system much more stringent about
issuing drugs," Tarantino explained. "And that can cause
problems."
"Let's be smarter than the problem," said veterans' advocate Guy
Gambill. "We can't afford not to be. We arrest too many people
and incarcerate them for too long. Then the mark of a criminal
record keeps them from getting jobs, housing, and other
services, and then the recidivism rate goes up."
There are things that can be done, Gambill said. States can
change their incarceration policies. Localities can be more
proactive.
"Chicago police and the LAPD are doing front-end interventions,"
Gambill noted. "In LA, trained peer specialists are doing
ride-alongs with the LAPD so the officers will recognize Iraq
and Afghanistan war vets. In Chicago, police are doing crisis
intervention training, and the first hundred of them are all
Iraq and Afghanistan vets. They'll try to grab these guys at
first contact and get them into treatment instead of jail. These
sorts of peer-led interventions work very well. We need to catch
this on the front end, so we don't have 200,000 homeless vets on
the streets like we do now."
Another stumbling block is the Department of Veterans Affairs
current policy on drug treatment for vets. The VA is willing to
offer treatment, but not for vets behind bars.
"We need the Department of Veterans Affairs to lift their ban on
drug treatment of incarcerated vets," said Tarantino. "We're
pleased that the department now has a justice coordinator at
every VA hospital, but they're waiting outside the prison door,
not inside, when the vets need it most. This is a regulation
they can change with the stroke of a pen," he said.
Yet another problem for vets, especially those with substance
abuse issues, is the lack of access to proven treatments. And
because the insurance provided to soldiers by the armed forces
also covers their families, lack of access to treatment affects
them as well.
"Vets don't qualify for substance abuse treatment unless they
are diagnosed with PTSD," said Abel Moreno, a former Army
sergeant who saw service in both theaters and who now works with
veterans through his organization Vets 4 Vets. "We are fighting
two wars at once. It's obvious PTSD exists, and it's clear there
are going to be substance abuse issues. We've created a subgenre
among today's vets where there is a pain pill-popping mitigation
ideal. We need quantified data so we can attack this situation
head on," he said.
It's not only in failing to provide drug treatment absent a PTSD
diagnosis where the DOD falls down, said Dr. Bob Newman, MD,
director of the Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute at Beth
Israel Medical Center in New York City. "Tricare, the Department
of Defense insurance plan refuses to pay for maintenance
treatment of addiction with methadone or buprenorphine," he
noted. "Maintenance therapy is not a new idea. It's endorsed by
agencies such as NIDA, SAMHSA, the Institute of Medicine, and
the World Health Organization. The US government supports this,
yet DOD has an insurance plan that excludes maintenance
treatment without explanation. That's outrageous," he said.
Tricare insures not only military personnel, but also their
families. Tricare's refusal to pay for maintenance therapy
nearly cost Teresa Bridges her daughter. Teresa's daughter,
Amanda, married a soldier, Sgt. Shawn Dressler. Dressler was
killed in combat shortly after the couple were wed, and Amanda
retreated into a haze of Lortab and Tramitol. Tricare paid for
her treatment, but after a year, her doctor noted on her records
that she was being subscribed maintenance doses of Suboxone.
"Suddenly, Tricare dropped her like a hot potato," Bridges said.
"Tricare believes taking Suboxone is just substituting one
addictive drug for another -- at least that's what they told me.
Amanda has done well on Suboxone, and if she stops taking it,
she will eventually relapse. Fortunately, she is now in a
temporary assistance program, but that will end after a year."
There are potential reforms that could ease the plight of
returning vets, the report said. Among them are:
* Changes in state and federal statutes to focus on treatment
instead of incarceration for veterans who commit nonviolent
drug-related offenses.
* Adoption by government agencies of overdose prevention
programs and policies targeting veterans who misuse substances
or take prescription medications.
* Significantly expanded access for veterans to
medication-assisted therapies such as methadone and
buprenorphine to treat opioid dependence.
"The care and feeding and support of vets is a national concern
and responsibility," said Gen. Stephen Xenakis, MD, Special
Adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for Staff, Warrior &
Family Support . "We are looking to knit together all the
various services and institutions so that the soldier who has
served and come home and ends up having problems or maybe ended
up incarcerated gets treatment from all the sources available."
One of the big problems, said Tarantino, is lack of hard
information. He noted that the Justice Department numbers in the
report are from 2004. "In 2004, there were over one million
fewer vets than there are today," he said. "We don't know how
many vets are behind bars right now. We have no method for
tracking vets unless they interact with some social services. We
need to have DOD and DOJ compare lists. We need data," he said.
Lack of coordination among agencies dealing with vets is part of
the problem, said Xenakis. "We need to better configure what
we're doing," he said. "Records are not shared. The Department
of Justice doesn't have access to Department of Defense records.
We need to get organized so we can track people over time."
That effort has the support of the Pentagon, Xenakis said. "Our
leadership heartily endorses this," he said. "It is really
important that this information that this information is out
there now, and that we follow it with the best action plans we
can create. As a country, we have a responsibility to support
our vets."
================
3. Europe: British Science vs. Politics Battle Explodes As Top
Drug Advisor Fired for Heresy
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/british_drug_advisor_nutt_fired_for_heresy
The British Labor government has created a firestorm of
controversy with its firing of Professor David Nutt
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/nov/02/drugspolicy-drugs),
head of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs
(http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs-laws/acmd -- ACMD) last
Friday. Nutt was canned by Home Secretary Alan Johnson after the
psychopharmacologist again went public with his criticism of the
government for refusing to follow a science- and evidence-based
drug policy.
As of this week, after a weekend of furious back and forth in
dozens of newspaper articles, two more members of the ACMD have
resigned in protest over the firing
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gqpxGjAJsUUB7ZeDiGrTEJXpHTlg),
and a mass resignation of the 31-member body may come after a
meeting next Monday. Johnson told parliament Monday that he had
agreed to a request from the ACMD for an urgent meeting, but he
also told parliament he had ordered a review of the ACMD to
satisfy ministers that the panel is "discharging its functions"
and that it still represents a value to the public.
The ACMD's charge is to "make recommendations to government on
the control of dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs, including
classification and scheduling under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
and its regulations," its web page explains. "It considers any
substance which is being or appears to be misused and of which
is having or appears to be capable of having harmful effects
sufficient to cause a social problem. It also carries out
in-depth inquiries into aspects of drug use that are causing
particular concern in the UK, with the aim of producing
considered reports that will be helpful to policy makers and
practitioners."
In 2004 the Labor government down-scheduled marijuana on the
Advisory Committee's advice, shifting it from Class B, the
middle rank in Britain's drug classification scheme, to Class C,
the least harmful. The maximum sentence for possession of a
Class C drug is two years; for Class B drugs it is five years.
Tensions between the ACMD and Labor began rising last year, when
Prime Minister Gordon Brown reversed that decision, saying he
wanted to send a strong message that use of the drug is
unacceptable. Tensions rose again when the ACMD recommended that
Ecstasy be down-scheduled from Class A (most harmful) to Class
B, and the Brown government promptly ignored that advice too.
At that point, Nutt went public with his criticisms of then Home
Secretary Jacqui Smith. He also famously compared the dangers of
Ecstasy to those of horse-riding, deeply offending both the
horsey set and the Labor government. Smith told Nutt to shut up,
and he managed to do so until last week.
Last week, in a lecture and briefing paper
(http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/estimatingdrugharmspr.html)
at the Center for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College
London, Nutt accused Smith of "distorting and devaluing"
scientific evidence when she decided to reclassify marijuana. He
also said that Ecstasy and LSD are less dangerous than alcohol
and tobacco.
"We have to accept young people like to experiment -- with drugs
and other potentially harmful activities -- and what we should
be doing in all of this is to protect them from harm at this
stage of their lives," he said. "We therefore have to provide
more accurate and credible information. If you think that
scaring kids will stop them using, you are probably wrong."
Nutt's briefing paper included a ranking of various licit and
illicit drugs by comparative harm. Heroin and cocaine were
ranked the most harmful in Nutt's scheme, with alcohol fifth,
marijuana ninth, LSD fourteenth, and Ecstasy eighteenth.
"We need a full and open discussion of the evidence and a mature
debate about what the drug laws are for -- and whether they are
doing their job," Nutt said.
That was too much for Home Minister Alan Johnson. He told
parliament Monday that Smith had warned Nutt not to publicly
disagree with ministry decisions again. "Well, it has happened
again," said Johnson. "On Thursday October 29 Professor Nutt
chose, without prior notification to my department, to initiate
a debate on drug policy in the national media, returning to the
February decisions, and accusing my predecessor or distorting
and devaluing scientific research. As a result, I have lost
confidence in Professor Nutt's ability to be my principal
adviser on drugs."
Prime Minister Brown is standing behind Johnson. An official
spokesman said the firing was based on the "important principle"
that advisers should present advice to ministers but not speak
out against their policy decisions. "It would be regrettable if
there were other resignations, but this is an important point of
principle," the spokesman added. "The government is absolutely
committed to the importance of having independent advice and
evidence presented by advisory bodies."
Nutt defended himself and attacked the government in a London
Sunday times opinion piece
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6898671.ece).
"My sacking has cast a huge shadow over the relationship of
science to policy," he wrote. "Several of the science experts
from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) have
resigned in protest and it seems likely that many others will
follow suit. This means the Home Office no longer has a
functioning advisory group, which is very unfortunate given the
ever-increasing problems of drugs and the emergence of new ones.
Also it seems unlikely that any 'true' scientist -- one who can
only speak the truth -- will be able to work for this, or
future, Home Secretaries.
One of the ACMD members who resigned, chemist Les King, said
ministers were putting inappropriate pressure on scientists to
make drug policy decisions based on political -- not scientific
-- reasons. "It's being asked to rubber stamp a predetermined
position," he said, warning that others could leave the council
over the brouhaha. "If sufficient members do resign, the
committee will no longer be able to operate," King said.
Scientist and Labor MP Robert Winston said Nutt had a "very
reasonable" point about the relative dangers of legal and
illegal drugs, and that he was disappointed by the firing. "I
think that if governments appoint expert advice they shouldn't
dismiss it so lightly," he said. "I think it shows a rather poor
understanding of the value of science."
Reuters reported Saturday that the firing is causing
consternation in scientific circles. Scientists told the news
agency the decision could undermine the integrity of science in
policymaking, including critical areas like health, the
environment, education, and defense.
"Scientific data and their independent interpretation underpin
evidence-based policy making -- and nobody rational could
possibly want a government based on any other type of policy
making," said Chris Higgins, chair of an advisory committee on
spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" disease.
Maurice Elphick, a professor of animal physiology and
neuroscience at Queen Mary, University of London, said
politicians should look elsewhere if they wanted data to back
social policies and allow science to maintain objectivity. "If,
however, politicians really do want to have an objective
assessment of the relative risks to health of different
recreational drugs, then they should listen to what the medical
scientist has to say, not sack him." he said.
================
4. Marijuana: Colorado Ski Town Votes to Legalize It, Measure
Passes With 73%
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/breckenridge_colorado_marijuana_legalization_vote
Residents of the Colorado ski town of Breckenridge
overwhelmingly voted to legalize the possession of small amounts
of marijuana Tuesday. The measure passed with 73% of the vote.
That means as of January 1, people in Breckenridge can legally
possess up to an ounce of marijuana under local ordinance. The
measure also legalizes the possession of marijuana
paraphernalia.
"This votes demonstrates that Breckenridge citizens
overwhelmingly believe that adults should not be punished for
making the safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol,"
said Sean McAllister, Breckenridge attorney and chair of
Sensible Breckenridge, a local project of the statewide
marijuana law reform group Sensible Colorado
(http://www.sensiblecolorado.org).
"As state and national focus grows on this important issue, the
popular ski town of Breckenridge has taken center stage on
marijuana reform -- and not just for medical purposes," said
Brian Vicente of Sensible Colorado. "With this historic vote,
Breckenridge has emerged as a national leader in sensible drug
policy."
The campaign, which had no formal opposition, received a chorus
of local support including endorsements from Breckenridge Town
Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron, former Colorado State
Representative and Breckenridge resident, Gary Lindstrom, and
the Summit Daily News.
Measure 2F was placed on the ballot when over 1,400 local
supporters signed a petition supporting the reform measure.
Under Colorado state law, possession of up to an ounce is
decriminalized and punishable by a $100 fine. But Breckenridge
police will "still have the ability to exercise discretion,"
said Chief Rick Holman. "It's never been something that we've
spent a lot of time on, so I don't expect this to be a big
change in how we really do business," he told the Summit Daily
News.
Breckenridge residents had voted for Amendment 44, a statewide
legalization initiative, by the same percentage in 2006. That
initiative won only 41% of the vote statewide.
Denver became the first city to vote to legalize marijuana
possession under municipal ordinance in 2005.
================
5. Latin America: Mexico Drug War Update
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/mexico_drug_war_update
by Bernd Debussman Jr.
Mexican drug trafficking organizations make billions each year
trafficking illegal drugs into the United States, profiting
enormously from the prohibitionist drug policies of the US
government. Since Mexican president Felipe Calderon took office
in December 2006 and called the armed forces into the fight
against the so-called cartels, prohibition-related violence has
killed over 12,000 people, with a death toll of over 5,800 so
far in 2009. The increasing militarization of the drug war and
the arrest of several high-profile drug traffickers have failed
to stem the flow of drugs -- or the violence -- whatsoever. The
Merida initiative, which provides $1.4 billion over three years
for the US to assist the Mexican government with training,
equipment and intelligence, has so far failed to make a
difference. Here are a few of the latest developments in
Mexico's drug war:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29
In Guerrero, a body was found hanging from a highway overpass
(http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/73518.html). The
unidentified man had been shot in the head, and left with two
notes with messages from "La Familia." In Ciudad Juarez, a
high-ranking police intelligence official was killed when he was
attacked by heavily armed gunmen as he ate in a restaurant. One
policeman was killed, and the official and two bodyguards were
wounded. A sign was later found taking responsibility for the
attack, which was apparently ordered by "El Chapo" Guzman, the
head of the Sinaloa Federation. Additionally, nine other murders
were reported in Ciudad Juarez, four in Sinaloa, one in Tijuana,
and four bodies found in the trunk bed of a truck in Michoacan.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
In Sonora, a well known union leader was killed along with 14
others, including four children
(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/world/americas/01mexico.html?_r=1&emc=eta1).
Margarita Montes Parra, 56, was ambushed by gunmen armed with
AK-47's. It is unclear whether his death was ordered by drug
traffickers or as a result of his union work. One of his sons,
Adrian, was killed two years ago in what is thought to be a
drug-related murder. Parra made headlines by publicly accusing
the governor of Sonora of protecting his son's killers. He also
accused the Veracruz state government of being complicit in drug
trafficking.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Officials identified four bodies that had been found executed in
an SUV in Mexico City
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMi5B2USfJStXxfqgWWr2xjRYpOgD9BNQG2G0).
Three of the men had the word "kidnappers" handwritten on their
body with marker, and a sign was found in the vehicle which read
"for kidnapping, the boss of bosses". This is the nickname of
Beltran-Levy cartel boss Arturo Beltran-Levy. There has been an
increase of violence against kidnappers and petty criminals in
recent months on the part of vigilantes working with drug
traffickers and elements of the police. Additionally, in
Tijuana, 13 suspected cartel gunmen were captured after a
firefight that wounded one soldier and one gunman.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3
In the town of San Pedro Garza Garcia, near Monterrey, the mayor
announced the death of a drug trafficker hours before the body
was actually found
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iy8B0TtqR84c5_2qaDgEpg1YLBcgD9BOE4Q80).
After being sworn in, Mayor Mauricio Fernandez was quoted as
saying that "Black Saldana, who is apparently the one asking for
my head, was found dead today in Mexico City." His announcement
came 3 1/2 hours before the blindfolded corpse of "Black
Saldana" (otherwise identified only by his first name, Hector)
was found. While at first he evaded questions about his prior
knowledge of the incident, Fernandez later claimed that he had
been tipped off by US officials that he was going to be
targeted, and then found out about Black Saldana's death through
unspecified means.
In Durango, a journalist who specialized in police matters was
found dead after being kidnapped by armed men on his way to work
(http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20091103-177659.html).
Alongside the body was found a note, whose contents were not
revealed to the public. Vladimir Antenna Garcia, who wrote for
El Tempo de Durango, is the third journalist killed in Durango
this year, and the eighth journalist killed in Mexico.
In Chihuahua, 18 people were killed in a 48 hour period
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iElkMdWzKgawuknxr5dePfFwzfeQ).
Nine of these murders occurred in Ciudad Juarez. Among them was
a municipal police officer who was gunned down in a hair salon
where he was accompanying his wife. Additionally, in the state
of Veracruz, a high-ranking member of the Zetas organization,
nicknamed "El Gonzo" or "Z-20" was killed after being shot by
Mexican naval personnel. Four people were arrested during the
operation.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
In the city of Chihuahua, police and soldiers shot dead a
federal policeman who was driving one of three cars that failed
to stop for them
(http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/04/world/AP-LT-Drug-War-Mexico.html).
The police and troops were on a joint patrol when they attempted
to stop the suspicious vehicles. The three vehicles ignored
orders to stop, sparking off a gun battle that left the federal
agent and left another unidentified man wounded.
In Ciudad Juarez, six people were gunned down in a bar
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMi5B2USfJStXxfqgWWr2xjRYpOgD9BP80SG1).
Among them was off-duty US Air Force Staff Sgt. David Booher,
who was based at Holloman Air Force base outside Alamogordo, New
Mexico. The motive for the attack was unclear, but it bore all
the hallmarks of a drug-related murder in Ciudad Juarez. The
incident brings the number of deaths in Ciudad Juarez to 30 over
the last four days. Additionally, in Garcia, Nuevo Leon, a
recently appointed police chief was killed along with four of
his bodyguards when they were ambushed by an unknown known of
heavily armed gunmen.
Body count for the week: 111
Body count for the year: 6,286
Body count since December 2006: 15,000+
Visit
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/606/mexico_drug_war_update
to read the last Mexico Drug War Update.
================
6. The Border: US Begins Turning Busted Smugglers Over to Mexico
for Prosecution
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/US_Mexico_border_marijuana_smuggling_prosecution
For years, getting caught trying to smuggle drugs across the
US-Mexican border meant being handed over to US authorities for
prosecution. Problem was, US Attorneys on the border were so
swamped with marijuana smuggling cases, the general rule was
they wouldn't prosecute for less than 500 pounds. Instead, local
prosecutors got those cases, but they were swamped, too. As a
result, thousands of Mexican marijuana smugglers never faced
prosecution in the US -- they were simply deported back over the
border to Mexico.
But now, according to the New York Times
(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/us/31drugs.html?_r=1), under
an agreement reached last month, US authorities have begun
returning captured Mexican pot smugglers to Mexico for
prosecution by Mexican authorities. Late last month, Sonora,
Mexico, resident Eleazar Gonzalez-Sanchez won the dubious
distinction of being the first person turned over to Mexican
authorities after he was popped with 44 pounds by Immigration
and Customs Enforcement at the Nogales, Arizona, border
crossing.
The border agreement is a sign of "our effort to enhance
cooperation between the US and Mexico on prosecuting drug
trafficking cases," said Arizona US Attorney Dennis Burke.
There is plenty of work to do. In the past year, ICE opened 646
smuggling cases out of busts at the Nogales port of entry. In
the fiscal year ending in October 2008, ICE busted 71,000 pounds
of pot on the Arizona border.
The program is a pilot program currently operating in Arizona.
US officials will be monitoring the cases returned to Mexico,
and if satisfied with the results, may extend it all along the
border.
================
7. Drug Legalization: Senator Pushes Amendment to Censor Any
Talk of That
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/grassley_censorship_amendment_legalization
Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), an inveterate drug warrior,
doesn't want to hear the L-word in Washington. This week, the
corn-belt conservative offered an amendment to Senator Jim
Webb's (D-VA) pending bill, the National Criminal Justice
Commission Act
(http://webb.senate.gov/email/criminaljusticereform.html), that
would explicitly forbid any recommendations that even mention
drug legalization or decriminalization.
Webb, a congressional champion of criminal justice and drug law
reform, introduced the bill in a bid to fix what he considers a
failing, costly, and inhumane criminal justice system, including
the war on drugs. Webb's bill contemplates the creation of "a
commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice
system with an eye toward reshaping the process from top to
bottom." That would presumably include taking a close look at
the impact of drug laws.
Grassley's amendment (http://www.askleap.net/grassley.pdf) says
its purpose is "to restrict the authority of the Commission to
examine policies that favor decriminalization of violations of
the Controlled Substances Act or the legalization of any
controlled substances." The amendment in its entirety reads as
follows:
"The Commission shall have no authority to make findings related
to current Federal, State, and local criminal justice policies
and practices or reform recommendations that involve, support,
or otherwise discuss the decriminalization of any offense under
the Controlled Substances Act or the legalization of any
controlled substance listed under the Controlled Substances
Act."
Grassley's politically bowdlerizing ploy quickly drew the ire of
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (http://www.leap.cc).
"Senator Grassley's censorship amendment would block what
Senator Webb is trying to achieve with this bill," said Jack
Cole, a retired undercover narcotics detective who now heads the
LEAP. "All along, Senator Webb has said that in the effort to
fix our broken criminal justice system 'nothing should be off
the table.' That should include the obvious solution of ending
the 'drug war' as a way to solve the unintended problems caused
by that failed policy."
As Grassley's amendment started to draw critical scrutiny, he
attempted to defend himself. In a conference call with media
(http://grassley.senate.gov/news/Article.cfm?customel_dataPageID_1502=23955)
this week, Grassley responded to a question about the amendment:
"Well, my intent on that amendment isn't any different than any
other amendments that are coming up. The Congress is setting up
a commission to study certain things. And the commission is a --
is an arm of Congress, because Congress doesn't have time to
review some of these laws. And -- and -- and the point is, for
them to do what we tell them to do. And one of the things that I
was anticipating telling them not to do is to -- to recommend or
study the legalization of drugs."
When asked if his amendment would include limiting the
discussion of medical marijuana, Grassley responded: "Yes, the
extent to which it would be decriminalization, the answer is
yes."
Grassley added that he had floated several amendments and that
he would not necessarily introduce all of them. As of Thursday,
he had not yet formally introduced his censorship amendment.
================
8. Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/police_drug_corruption
The drug war corrodes the integrity of law enforcement in
multiple ways, as we see this week: Testilying, sexual
extortion, thievery, and the usual just plain old corrupt
practices. Let's get to it:
In Atlanta, federal prosecutors recently dropped charges
(http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/charges-dropped-after-police-183549.html)
accusing a felon of possessing a handgun after a US magistrate
testimony from the Atlanta narcotics squad "less than candid."
Members of the Atlanta police Red Dog drug unit testified that
they pulled the man over after driving past his car and smelling
marijuana. They said after the stop that they found a gun in the
car. But US Magistrate Linda Walker suppressed the evidence,
saying she could not believe the officers had actually smelled
marijuana coming from the passing vehicle and thus had no legal
reason to stop his vehicle. That's what's known as testilying.
In Medina, Washington, a Medina police officer was arrested
October 29 (http://www.kirotv.com/news/21478692/detail.html) for
having sex with a woman he arrested in return for arranging to
get her marijuana possession charges dropped. Officer Ismael
Garcia Ramirez is charged with official misconduct in the
incident, which began when he pulled over the woman for driving
on a suspended license. Garcia Ramirez then found marijuana in
the car and said he arranged to meet with the woman later for
sex. He promised to have her charged dropped, prosecutors said.
The woman said the sex was not consensual.
In Lawrenceville, Georgia, two former Gwinnett County Sheriff's
Office narcotics investigators were arrested for unrelated
offenses October 29
(http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/two-former-gwinnett-officers-178052.html).
Major David Butler, head of the narcotics and vice units until
he resigned under pressure earlier this year, is charged with
using a county credit card to buy unspecified items at an adult
novelty store and to pay for a motel room. He is also charged
with stealing $4,000 from the department's dope buy cash stash.
He's out on $20,000 bail. Former narc Vennie Harden is charged
with three counts of first-degree forgery and one count of
violation of oath of office for forging a supervisor's name on a
form authorizing payment of county funds between February and
April of this year. He's out on $11,800 bail.
In Philadelphia, a former Philadelphia police officer was hit
with more federal charges Wednesday
(http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/110409_more_drug_charges_filed_against_ex-cop).
He had earlier been charged in an alleged violent plot to steal
$1.5 million from a cocaine dealer. Former officer Alhinde
Weems, 34, was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to commit
robbery, drug distribution, and more. According to prosecutors,
Weems twice distributed crack cocaine between December 2008 and
January 2009, and attempted to peddle a kilogram of cocaine.
Weems has behind bars since March, when he was charged in a plot
to dress as a detective, enter a drug dealer's home, rob him,
and shoot him if necessary. He is being held without bail.
In Miami, a former Miami Dade police officer was sentenced last
Friday
(http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Ecstasy-Cop-Gets-Two-Years-67953217.html)
to two years in federal prison for participating in a drug
smuggling conspiracy that was actually an FBI sting. Former
officer Jorge Delgado, 31, admitted using his patrol car to
protect what he thought was a shipment of Ecstasy in exchange
for $2500. He pleaded guilty in July to aiding and abetting an
attempt to possess Ecstasy with the intent to distribute. He
could have gotten up to 20 years.
In Brownsville, Texas, a former US Customs and Border Protection
officer was sentenced Wednesday
(http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9BPJ1K02.html)
to more than 11 years in federal prison for taking bribes to
allow illegal immigrants and illicit drugs to pass into the
country. Sergio Lopez Hernandez, 41, pleaded guilty in April to
taking more than $150,000 in bribes to let car loads of people
and drugs pass through his lane on the B&M International bridge
between Brownsville and Matamoros, Mexico.
================
9. Marijuana Legalization: California Poll of Primary Voters
Finds Narrow Majority Say Keep It Illegal
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/california_marijuana_legalization_poll_capitol_weekly_probolsky
A poll released this week suggests backers of California
marijuana legalization initiatives have their work cut out for
them. The Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research poll
(http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=ydyyddqbzdpszc&xid=ydym4d05tdtym5&done=.ydyyddqbze8szc)
of 750 primary voters in late October found 52% wanted to keep
marijuana illegal, while 38% supported legalization.
An April Field poll (http://www.canorml.org/news/fieldpoll.html)
found that 56% of respondents supported legalization. But that
support came in the context of a polling question about
legalizing and taxing marijuana in the context of California's
ongoing budget crisis. In that poll, respondents said they
favored "legalizing marijuana for recreational use and taxing
its proceeds."
The difference in poll questions influenced the way people
responded, said poll director Adam Probolsky. "By saying there
is a chance to help solve the budget crisis, you'd push some
people toward making it legal," he said. "It makes it more
palatable to people. If we had asked the same question, and said
some studies show we'd have 10,000 more highway deaths, you'd
push it the other way."
The two polls also sampled different voter pools. The Capitol
Weekly poll was based on likely June primary voters, which is a
smaller and more conservative group than general election or
registered voters. The Field poll looked at registered voters.
While the poll may be a shot across the bow for legalization
initiative organizers, it may not accurately predict how such a
campaign will fare, Probolsky said. "This doesn't test the push
messages -- closing the state budget gap versus the public
safety messages," he said. "You need to test half a dozen of
those pros and cons to see where the initiative lies."
When measured by party affiliation, only 25% of Republicans
supported legalization, compared to 45% of Democrats and nearly
48% of voters who declined to state a party preference. Voters
over 65 were most likely to oppose legalization, with 56% saying
prohibition should continue. But that was only one point higher
than the 55% of 18-to-34-year-olds.
The poll was taken the same week the Assemblyman Tom Ammiano
(D-SF) held a hearing on his marijuana legalization bill at the
state capitol in Sacramento. It also comes as petition-gatherers
for at least three different legalization initiatives pound the
pavement for signatures.
================
10. Europe: Dutch Cannabis Cafe Owner on Trial Over Amount of
Pot on Hand
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/dutch_cannabis_coffee_shop_owner_trial
In what is widely viewed as a test case as the Netherlands tilts
toward a tougher stance toward cannabis use and sales, the owner
of one of the country's biggest cannabis coffee shops went on
trial this week on drug trafficking charges
(http://www.javno.com/en-world/dutch-cannabis-shop-owner-goes-on-trial_280293).
Meddy Willemsen, 58, owned and operated the Checkpoint coffee
shop in Terneuzen near the Belgian border until it was shut down
in May 2008.
Now, he and 16 managers and suppliers are on trial in
Middleburg. Prosecutors are calling them an organized crime
ring.
Checkpoint was serving up to 3,000 customers a day, mainly
Belgian and French, but was closed after investigators twice
found large amounts of cannabis on the premises. They found 120
kilograms on premise in 2007 and 110 kilos in May 2008.
Under Holland's "tolerance" policy toward cannabis, people can
purchase up to five grams per day at licensed coffee shops.
Coffee shops are limited to having five pounds on hand. That law
has been widely, if quietly, flouted. For a high-volume coffee
shop like the Checkpoint, for example, five pounds could be
going out the door every hour five grams at a time.
Like all Dutch coffee shops, the Checkpoint also suffered from
the "back door" problem. While the Netherlands provides for
legal sales, it does not provide for a legal cannabis supply to
the coffee shops. That leaves the supply, a $4 billion a year
black market business, to an ever-responsive criminal
underground.
"The question is whether the conditions of the government's
tolerance policy have been violated," Judge Saskia Meeuwis said
at the start of the trial.
Prosecutors certainly thought so. "This is clearly a
contravention of the spirit of the tolerance policy devised by
the government to respond to local demand," said Middelburg
prosecution spokeswoman Elke Kool. "This is the biggest-ever
case of its sort. We are dealing with a real criminal
organization here."
But Raymond Dufour of the Netherlands Drug Policy Foundation
told Cannazine
(http://pr.cannazine.co.uk/200911031230/green/eco-news/coffee-shop-court-case-continues.html)
the case shows that the current system does not work. "Coffee
shops are only allowed to have 500 grams of cannabis in stock,"
he said. "Everybody knows that if you have 2,500 clients a day,
you need more than 500 grams. It's just a silly condition.
Everybody in Terneuzen must have known this."
The trial comes as the Netherlands moves to tighten the reins on
the coffee shops. The national government announced in September
that it wanted to reserve coffee shops for local users -- not
foreign drug tourists. The city of Amsterdam has moved to cut
the number of its coffee shops in half, while other cities are
imposing zoning restrictions on them. In southern Limburg
province, 30 coffee shops will become members-only clubs next
year, while in two border towns, local authorities are shutting
down all coffee shops in a bid to defeat drug tourism.
In April last year, Checkpoint introduced a customer card
(http://www.encod.org/info/COFFEESHOP-CHECKPOINT-INTRODUCES.html)
system intended to prevent customers from exceeding the daily
five gram limit and prevent minors from entering the shop.
A verdict in the Checkpoint case is expected December 2.
================
11. LAST CHANCE: Help StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) Win $50,000
in America's Giving Challenge
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/stopthedrugwar_in_americas_giving_challenge
Dear Reformer:
Our organization, StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet), is a participant
in "America's Giving Challenge," a contest to help nonprofits by
offering prizes ranging from $500 to $50,000 to those who
receive the largest number of donations through the "Causes"
program by November 7 (TOMORROW). The key is not the size of the
donation -- Causes (http://www.causes.com) will accept any gift
of $10 or more, and any gift no matter how large or small
counts equally in the contest. Supporters can make donations
that count in the contest up to once a day.
Please donate today to help StoptheDrugWar.org win this
much-needed funding --
http://www.causes.com/donations/select_donation_method?cause_id=205062
-- Causes is linked in to Facebook too, and that means you can
help by asking your friends on Facebook to donate to
StoptheDrugWar.org in the Challenge too.
But don't just ask your friends to donate, as important as that
is. Write your friends to tell them how important it is to
reform drug policy and eventually end prohibition itself. Send
them this week's issue of our Drug War Chronicle newsletter
(http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/605/). Ask them to watch
our video about abusive SWAT Raids. Tell them why you feel the
drug war is wasteful and unjust and bad for our country. If
you've donated -- through the Challenge today or in the past --
tell them that, it will make a difference.
Again, the amount of your donation is less important for this
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(Of course the larger the gift, the more it will help us
directly, but the small gifts add up too.) And even if we don't
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and come to check us out and join our cause too. So please visit
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today, or by November 7 the latest, to support
StoptheDrugWar.org in America's Giving Challenge.
Remember that we do what we can from Washington, but in the end
it's YOU who represents the cause of stopping the drug war -- to
your friends, on Facebook, in your community. If all of us come
together, we can win -- not just in the Giving Challenge, but in
the court of public opinion and then in Congress.
http://www.causes.com/donations/select_donation_method?cause_id=205062
Thank you!
Sincerely,
David Borden, Executive Director
P.S. If you'd rather not participate in the Challenge, but would
still like to donate to us, you can do so at:
http://stopthedrugwar.org/changingminds09/donate
================
12. Weekly: This Week in History
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/drug_war_history
November 12, 1970: Keith Stroup forms the National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
November 12, 1980: New York City Mayor Ed Koch admits to having
tried marijuana.
November 6, 1984: The DEA and Mexican officials raid a large
marijuana cultivation and processing complex in the Chihuahua
desert owned by kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero. Seven thousand
campesinos work at the complex, where between 5,000-10,000 tons
of high-grade marijuana worth $2.5 billion is found and
destroyed. Time magazine calls this "the bust of the century,"
and it reveals the existence of Mexico's sophisticated marijuana
smuggling industry.
November 8, 1984: The international marijuana seizure record is
set (still in effect today) -- 4,260,000 lbs in Mexico.
November 6, 1985: Upping the ante in the battle against
extradition, guerillas linked to the Medellin cartel occupy the
Colombian Palace of Justice. At least 95 people are killed when
the Colombian military attack after a 26-hour siege, including
11 Supreme Court justices. Many court documents, including all
pending extradition requests, are destroyed by fire.
November 8, 1987: The New York Times reports that Al Gore said
he last used marijuana when he was 24. He said he first tried
the drug at the end of his junior year at Harvard and used it
again at the beginning of his senior year the next fall. He also
said he used the drug "once or twice" while off-duty in an Army
tour at Bien Hoa, Vietnam, on several occasions while he was in
graduate school at Vanderbilt University and when he was an
employee of a Nashville newspaper (The Nashville Tennessean).
Three days later Gore is quoted in UPI: "We have to be honest
and candid and open in dealing with the (drug) problem."
November 11, 1988: The Anti-Drug Abuse Act establishes the
creation of a drug-free America as a policy goal. A key
provision of the act is the creation of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to set priorities, implement a
national strategy, and certify federal drug-control budgets.
November 6, 1989: Former President Ronald Reagan's Secretary of
State George Shultz is quoted by the Associated Press: "We need
at least to consider and examine forms of controlled
legalization of drugs."
November 7, 2000: In California, citizens vote 61-39% to pass
Proposition 36, diverting nonviolent drug offenders into
treatment rather than prison for first and second offenses. In
Mendocino County voters approve a measure decriminalizing
personal use and growth of up to 25 marijuana plants -- the
Green Party-sponsored Measure G wins 52% of the vote.
November 9, 2001: The San Jose Mercury News reports that despite
objections from former first lady Betty Ford and drug-treatment
authorities, the US Senate Judiciary Committee approved the
nomination of John Walters as director of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy.
November 9, 2001: The Newark Star-Ledger reports that the US
Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Ecstasy in a
study to treat victims of post-traumatic stress disorder.
November 10, 2001: The Austin American-Statesman reports that
police publicly apologized to Maria Flores for a botched drug
raid on May 16.
November 7, 2002: Ruling in favor of NORML Foundation and Media
Access Project complaints, the Federal Communications Commission
says that public service announcements broadcast under the
auspices of the White House drug office advertising program must
identify themselves as being part of that program. As a result
of the ruling, broadcasters are forced to insert tag lines
stating "sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control
Policy."
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Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith@drcnet.org
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607
A Publication of Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)
David Borden, Executive Director, borden@drcnet.org
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"
LAST CHANCE: Help StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) Win $50,000 in
America's Giving Challenge! (ENDS TOMORROW)
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/stopthedrugwar_in_americas_giving_challenge
Table of Contents:
1. FEATURE: MAINE VOTERS APPROVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES
Maine has become the latest state to approve state-licensed
medical marijuana dispensaries. It joins New Mexico and Rhode
Island. But locally-allowed (or not) dispensaries are the rule
in California, Colorado, and Washington. Both paths have their
pluses and minuses.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/maine_approves_medical_marijuana_dispensaries
2. FEATURE: VETERANS INCARCERATED AND IGNORED WHEN THEY COULD BE
GETTING HELP, REPORT FINDS
Nearly a quarter of a million American veterans were behind bars
in 2004, many of them for drug abuse-related offenses, a new
report finds. While the military, the Veterans Administration,
and other agencies are taking some steps to help them, there is
much more that could -- and should -- be done.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/veterans_substance_abuse_treatment_incarceration
3. EUROPE: BRITISH SCIENCE VS. POLITICS BATTLE EXPLODES AS TOP
DRUG ADVISOR FIRED FOR HERESY
The British government seems to think that if drug policy is not
supported by science, you need to trash the science -- and the
scientist -- not the failed policy. It fired a leading voice for
science- and evidence-based drug policies last Friday for what
amounted to heresy against official dogma.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/british_drug_advisor_nutt_fired_for_heresy
4. MARIJUANA: COLORADO SKI TOWN VOTES TO LEGALIZE IT, MEASURE
PASSES WITH 73%
Breckenridge, Colorado, a Rocky Mountain ski town, just voted
overwhelmingly to legalize marijuana under municipal ordinance.
Denver did that in 2005.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/breckenridge_colorado_marijuana_legalization_vote
5. LATIN AMERICA: MEXICO DRUG WAR UPDATE
No break in Mexico's prohibition-related violence as the death
toll since December 2006, when President Calderon called in the
army, has now topped 15,000. The latest victims include a US
soldier gunned down in a Ciudad Juarez strip club with five
other people.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/mexico_drug_war_update
6. THE BORDER: US BEGINS TURNING BUSTED SMUGGLERS OVER TO MEXICO
FOR PROSECUTION
For years, federal prosecutors on the US-Mexican border have
been so swamped with smuggling cases that they refuse to
prosecute busts under 500 pounds. Local prosecutors can't handle
the overflow, either, so now, the US is sending busted Mexican
pot smugglers back home to be prosecuted.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/US_Mexico_border_marijuana_smuggling_prosecution
7. DRUG LEGALIZATION: SENATOR PUSHES AMENDMENT TO CENSOR ANY
TALK OF THAT
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) is floating an amendment to Jim
Webb's bill to create a commission on criminal justice reforms.
Grassley's amendment would bar any talk of legalization or
decriminalization.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/grassley_censorship_amendment_legalization
8. LAW ENFORCEMENT: THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
The drug war corrodes the integrity of law enforcement in
multiple ways, as we see this week: Testilying, sexual
extortion, thievery, and the usual just plain old corrupt
practices.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/police_drug_corruption
9. MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION: CALIFORNIA POLL OF PRIMARY VOTERS
FINDS NARROW MAJORITY SAY KEEP IT ILLEGAL
A new poll of likely California primary voters has a majority in
favor of maintaining marijuana prohibition, but the pollster
said that should not be read as suggesting legalization
initiatives will necessarily go down to defeat. Different
polling questions and populations provide different results, he
said.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/california_marijuana_legalization_poll_capitol_weekly_probolsky
10. EUROPE: DUTCH CANNABIS CAFE OWNER ON TRIAL OVER AMOUNT OF
POT ON HAND
Dutch authorities at all levels are tightening the screws on the
country's famous cannabis coffee shops, and now a prominent
coffee shop owner is on trial for violating the rules about how
much he can have on hand.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/dutch_cannabis_coffee_shop_owner_trial
11. LAST CHANCE: HELP STOPTHEDRUGWAR.ORG (DRCNET) WIN $50,000
IN AMERICA'S GIVING CHALLENGE
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$500 to $50,000 to nonprofits who get the largest number of
gifts from supporters between now and November 7 (TOMORROW). Any
gift of $10 or higher -- made through the "Causes" program,
which is linked in to Facebook -- counts equally toward the
prize, and gifts can be made up to once a day.
StoptheDrugWar.org is a contestant, and we're asking for your
help by participating and by spreading the word.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/stopthedrugwar_in_americas_giving_challenge
12. WEEKLY: THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of
years past.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/drug_war_history
(Not subscribed? Visit http://stopthedrugwar.org to sign up
today!)
================
1. Feature: Maine Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/maine_approves_medical_marijuana_dispensaries
Voters in Maine Tuesday approved Question 5, the Maine Medical
Marijuana Act
(http://www.mainepatientsrights.org/Petition%20MEDICAL%20MARIJUANA.pdf),
an initiative instructing the state government to set up a
system of state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. The
measure passed with 59% of the vote.
Sponsored by Maine Citizens for Patient Rights
(http://www.mainepatientsrights.org) (MCPR) and the Maine
Medical Marijuana Policy Initiative
(http://www.mainecommonsense.org -- MMMPI), and funded primarily
by the Drug Policy Alliance (http://www.drugpolicy.org), the
Maine Medical Marijuana Act will:
* Establish a system of nonprofit dispensaries which would be
overseen and tightly regulated by the state;
* Establish a voluntary identification card for medical
marijuana patients and caregivers;
* Protect patients and caregivers from arrest, search and
seizure unless there is suspicion of abuse;
* Create new protections for qualified patients and providers
in housing, education, employment and child custody;
* Allow patients with Lou Gehrig's disease and Alzheimer's
disease access to medical marijuana;
* Require the Department of Health and Human Services to
develop a procedure for expanding the list of conditions for
which marijuana can be used; and
* Keep current allowable marijuana quantities at 2.5 ounces and
six plants.
"We weren't surprised at all by the outcome," said Jonathan
Leavitt of Maine Citizens for Patients Rights, who had predicted
weeks ago the measure would cruise to victory. "We would have
done a lot better in most elections, but this time there was a
big turnout from the hard-core religious right," he said,
referring to the heated battle over a gay marriage referendum
that went down to defeat the same day.
"We're really tickled," said Bruce Mirken, communications
director for the Marijuana Policy Project (http://www.mpp.org),
which also supported the campaign. "This was a state election
with some controversial issues, but medical marijuana wasn't one
of them. Oh, the usual suspects objected, but nobody was
listening. This suggests the comfort level with medical
marijuana is growing by leaps and bounds."
Some long-time Maine marijuana activists, such as the Maine
Vocals (http://www.mainevocals.net), had joined the "usual
suspects" in opposing the measure. They argued that the measure
gave too much power to the state. But their complaints appeared
to have little impact on the electoral outcome.
"It's great to see Maine leapfrog other states in adopting
cutting-edge medical marijuana legislation," said Jill Harris,
DPA managing director for public policy. "What's especially nice
is that the medical marijuana guidelines recently issued by the
US Department of Justice provide reassurance to Maine officials
that they can implement the new law without fear of reprisal by
federal authorities."
"This is a dramatic step forward, the first time that any
state's voters have authorized the state government to license
medical marijuana dispensaries," said MPP executive director Rob
Kampia. "Coming a decade after passage of Maine's original
marijuana law, this is a huge sign that voters are comfortable
with these laws, and also a sign that the recent change of
policy from the Obama administration is having a major impact."
Maine becomes the sixth state to allow medical marijuana
dispensaries, and, as Kampia noted, the first one to approve
state-licensed dispensaries through a popular vote. New Mexico
and Rhode Island approved state-licensed dispensaries through
the legislative process, while California, Colorado, and
Washington adopted locally-approved dispensaries through the
initiative process.
In New Mexico, there is currently one state-licensed medical
marijuana dispensary; in Rhode Island none yet exist. In
Colorado, by contrast, there are nearly a hundred, while in
California, the number of locally-permitted (or not)
dispensaries is somewhere shy of 2000. In Washington State, the
number of dispensaries is much lower, but still higher than in
states where dispensaries are licensed by the state.
"The trend toward licensed dispensaries is a good thing," said
Kris Hermes, communications director for Americans for Safe
Access (http://www.safeaccessnow.org), the nation's largest
medical marijuana advocacy group. "Back in 1996, when the first
initiative was passed in California, that initiative included
language calling on the state and federal governments to work
together to create a plan for distribution. But because the
federal government was not only unhelpful, but actually working
to actively undermine medical marijuana distribution in
California during the Bush years, people at the local level were
forced to develop a model they could advance. What we now have
in California is a local model of distribution," he noted.
While locally-approved dispensaries appear to provide access to
medical marijuana to greater numbers of people, they are also
subject to more harassment and even prosecution by the state or
even the federal government. The Obama administration has
declared it will not go after dispensaries operating in accord
with state law, but in states like California and Colorado,
where local prosecutors determine legality -- not a state law --
dispensary operators could still see themselves prosecuted by
the feds.
One such incident occurred in September in San Diego, where
hard-line county District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis led joint
state and federal raids against dispensaries, and at least two
people were charged with federal marijuana distribution
offenses. Similarly, the Los Angeles county prosecutor has
warned that he considers almost all LA-area dispensaries to be
illegal.
"That's the fundamental difference Maine, New Mexico, and Rhode
Island on one hand, and California and Colorado on the other,"
said MPP's Mirken. "The latter have a large number of
dispensaries, but they are operating in a grey area. In
California, we've seen the feds justify participating in raids
where local DAs say the dispensaries aren't legal."
That could continue to happen, even with the Obama edict, Mirken
said. "Until the courts settle these issues, it's not shocking
that the feds might defer to local prosecutors," he said.
"There's something to be said for legal clarity."
What is needed, said Hermes, is federal acceptance of medical
marijuana. "As long as the federal government continues to deny
medical marijuana's efficacy and refuses to develop a national
plan that goes beyond law enforcement, states will have to
develop their own laws to deal with the issue of distribution,"
he said. "Having said that, we continue to work with the Obama
administration to develop that national policy, and hopefully,
one day soon we will have a policy that obviates the need for
individual policies at the state level."
In the meantime, it's up to the states. In Maine, that means
getting the state-licensed dispensary system up and running.
"The process starts when the governor signs it into law, which
we expect shortly," said Leavitt. "He will then set up a task
force to pull together appropriate oversight for the new law. We
hope to be part of that stakeholder process. I think it will
take at least three or four months before we actually have
functioning dispensaries."
================
2. Feature: Veterans Incarcerated and Ignored When They Could Be
Getting Help, Report Finds
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/veterans_substance_abuse_treatment_incarceration
Roughly 200,000 US veterans are in prison or jail, many of them
there because of substance abuse or mental health issues,
according to a new report released Wednesday. The report
outlines the problem and suggests reforms that could ease the
plight of American soldiers returning from the war zone and
trying to make the transition back to civilian society.
According to the report, 140,000 vets were in prison in 2004,
with tens of thousands more serving time in jails. Nearly half
(46%) of vets doing time in federal prison were incarcerated for
drug offenses, while 15% of those in state prison were,
including 5.6% doing time for simple possession. Three out five
(61%) of incarcerated vets met the criteria for substance
dependence or abuse.
The report, Healing a Broken System: Veterans Battling Addiction
and Incarceration
(http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/veterans2009.cfm), comes at a
critical time. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers currently
deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US faces a mounting
challenge in caring for returning vets.
Many are returning home damaged by their experiences. According
to the report, 30% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans report
symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic
brain injury, depression, mental illness, or other cognitive
disability. These medical conditions, if left untreated, can
contribute to problematic drug use, addiction, and fatal
overdoses, as well as homelessness, suicide, and criminality,
particular violations of the drug laws.
While the study mentions 200,000 vets behind bars, the number is
most likely much higher. That's because owing to problems in
data collection -- a problem in itself -- the last year for
which hard numbers on vets behind bars is available was 2004.
Since then, more than a million more vets have returned from
their deployments and mustered out.
The report had its genesis about a year and a half ago, when the
Drug Policy Alliance (http://www.drugpolicy.org -- DPA) teamed
up with a classroom of law students at Northeastern University
in Boston to investigate the obstacles veterans were facing in
obtaining adequate access to mental health and substance abuse
services. In addition to a series of surprising and dramatic
findings, the report also includes a list of specific
recommendations about how to improve services for vets suffering
mental health and substance abuse issues.
"We learned that far too many returning vets are falling victim
to the war on drugs because of barriers to effective treatment,"
said DPA's Dan Abrahamson at a Wednesday press conference.
"There are nearly a quarter million vets behind bars right now
for crimes motivated in part by mental health or drug addiction
problems. One third of returning vets report symptoms of
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Also, vets suffer from
traumatic brain injury, depression, and mental illness at higher
rates than normal. All of those are contributory factors to
substance abuse and drug addiction, as well as overdose,
homelessness, suicide, and being arrested for a non-violent drug
offense."
In the battle theater, soldiers are supposed to function despite
high stress, and the military is more than willing to prescribe
them whatever it takes to keep them fighting. But it's a
different story when the vets come home.
"Service-related drug dependency is being talked about quite a
bit in the veterans community, but is not well understood
outside the military," said Tom Tarantino, an Iraq war veteran
and now legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
of America (http://www.iava.org). "The ease of obtaining
prescriptions in theater is staggering," he explained. "I know
crack dealers who are more discriminating about issuing drugs
than some of the medics I saw in Iraq. It's alarming how many
people were just given anti-depressants instead of asking
whether they were really fit for duty," said the veterans'
lobbyist.
"Sometimes, it's just a matter of expediency and life in a
combat zone, but then you have vets coming back from an
environment where meds are very loosely prescribed and they are
confronted with a medical system much more stringent about
issuing drugs," Tarantino explained. "And that can cause
problems."
"Let's be smarter than the problem," said veterans' advocate Guy
Gambill. "We can't afford not to be. We arrest too many people
and incarcerate them for too long. Then the mark of a criminal
record keeps them from getting jobs, housing, and other
services, and then the recidivism rate goes up."
There are things that can be done, Gambill said. States can
change their incarceration policies. Localities can be more
proactive.
"Chicago police and the LAPD are doing front-end interventions,"
Gambill noted. "In LA, trained peer specialists are doing
ride-alongs with the LAPD so the officers will recognize Iraq
and Afghanistan war vets. In Chicago, police are doing crisis
intervention training, and the first hundred of them are all
Iraq and Afghanistan vets. They'll try to grab these guys at
first contact and get them into treatment instead of jail. These
sorts of peer-led interventions work very well. We need to catch
this on the front end, so we don't have 200,000 homeless vets on
the streets like we do now."
Another stumbling block is the Department of Veterans Affairs
current policy on drug treatment for vets. The VA is willing to
offer treatment, but not for vets behind bars.
"We need the Department of Veterans Affairs to lift their ban on
drug treatment of incarcerated vets," said Tarantino. "We're
pleased that the department now has a justice coordinator at
every VA hospital, but they're waiting outside the prison door,
not inside, when the vets need it most. This is a regulation
they can change with the stroke of a pen," he said.
Yet another problem for vets, especially those with substance
abuse issues, is the lack of access to proven treatments. And
because the insurance provided to soldiers by the armed forces
also covers their families, lack of access to treatment affects
them as well.
"Vets don't qualify for substance abuse treatment unless they
are diagnosed with PTSD," said Abel Moreno, a former Army
sergeant who saw service in both theaters and who now works with
veterans through his organization Vets 4 Vets. "We are fighting
two wars at once. It's obvious PTSD exists, and it's clear there
are going to be substance abuse issues. We've created a subgenre
among today's vets where there is a pain pill-popping mitigation
ideal. We need quantified data so we can attack this situation
head on," he said.
It's not only in failing to provide drug treatment absent a PTSD
diagnosis where the DOD falls down, said Dr. Bob Newman, MD,
director of the Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute at Beth
Israel Medical Center in New York City. "Tricare, the Department
of Defense insurance plan refuses to pay for maintenance
treatment of addiction with methadone or buprenorphine," he
noted. "Maintenance therapy is not a new idea. It's endorsed by
agencies such as NIDA, SAMHSA, the Institute of Medicine, and
the World Health Organization. The US government supports this,
yet DOD has an insurance plan that excludes maintenance
treatment without explanation. That's outrageous," he said.
Tricare insures not only military personnel, but also their
families. Tricare's refusal to pay for maintenance therapy
nearly cost Teresa Bridges her daughter. Teresa's daughter,
Amanda, married a soldier, Sgt. Shawn Dressler. Dressler was
killed in combat shortly after the couple were wed, and Amanda
retreated into a haze of Lortab and Tramitol. Tricare paid for
her treatment, but after a year, her doctor noted on her records
that she was being subscribed maintenance doses of Suboxone.
"Suddenly, Tricare dropped her like a hot potato," Bridges said.
"Tricare believes taking Suboxone is just substituting one
addictive drug for another -- at least that's what they told me.
Amanda has done well on Suboxone, and if she stops taking it,
she will eventually relapse. Fortunately, she is now in a
temporary assistance program, but that will end after a year."
There are potential reforms that could ease the plight of
returning vets, the report said. Among them are:
* Changes in state and federal statutes to focus on treatment
instead of incarceration for veterans who commit nonviolent
drug-related offenses.
* Adoption by government agencies of overdose prevention
programs and policies targeting veterans who misuse substances
or take prescription medications.
* Significantly expanded access for veterans to
medication-assisted therapies such as methadone and
buprenorphine to treat opioid dependence.
"The care and feeding and support of vets is a national concern
and responsibility," said Gen. Stephen Xenakis, MD, Special
Adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for Staff, Warrior &
Family Support . "We are looking to knit together all the
various services and institutions so that the soldier who has
served and come home and ends up having problems or maybe ended
up incarcerated gets treatment from all the sources available."
One of the big problems, said Tarantino, is lack of hard
information. He noted that the Justice Department numbers in the
report are from 2004. "In 2004, there were over one million
fewer vets than there are today," he said. "We don't know how
many vets are behind bars right now. We have no method for
tracking vets unless they interact with some social services. We
need to have DOD and DOJ compare lists. We need data," he said.
Lack of coordination among agencies dealing with vets is part of
the problem, said Xenakis. "We need to better configure what
we're doing," he said. "Records are not shared. The Department
of Justice doesn't have access to Department of Defense records.
We need to get organized so we can track people over time."
That effort has the support of the Pentagon, Xenakis said. "Our
leadership heartily endorses this," he said. "It is really
important that this information that this information is out
there now, and that we follow it with the best action plans we
can create. As a country, we have a responsibility to support
our vets."
================
3. Europe: British Science vs. Politics Battle Explodes As Top
Drug Advisor Fired for Heresy
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/british_drug_advisor_nutt_fired_for_heresy
The British Labor government has created a firestorm of
controversy with its firing of Professor David Nutt
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/nov/02/drugspolicy-drugs),
head of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs
(http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs-laws/acmd -- ACMD) last
Friday. Nutt was canned by Home Secretary Alan Johnson after the
psychopharmacologist again went public with his criticism of the
government for refusing to follow a science- and evidence-based
drug policy.
As of this week, after a weekend of furious back and forth in
dozens of newspaper articles, two more members of the ACMD have
resigned in protest over the firing
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gqpxGjAJsUUB7ZeDiGrTEJXpHTlg),
and a mass resignation of the 31-member body may come after a
meeting next Monday. Johnson told parliament Monday that he had
agreed to a request from the ACMD for an urgent meeting, but he
also told parliament he had ordered a review of the ACMD to
satisfy ministers that the panel is "discharging its functions"
and that it still represents a value to the public.
The ACMD's charge is to "make recommendations to government on
the control of dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs, including
classification and scheduling under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
and its regulations," its web page explains. "It considers any
substance which is being or appears to be misused and of which
is having or appears to be capable of having harmful effects
sufficient to cause a social problem. It also carries out
in-depth inquiries into aspects of drug use that are causing
particular concern in the UK, with the aim of producing
considered reports that will be helpful to policy makers and
practitioners."
In 2004 the Labor government down-scheduled marijuana on the
Advisory Committee's advice, shifting it from Class B, the
middle rank in Britain's drug classification scheme, to Class C,
the least harmful. The maximum sentence for possession of a
Class C drug is two years; for Class B drugs it is five years.
Tensions between the ACMD and Labor began rising last year, when
Prime Minister Gordon Brown reversed that decision, saying he
wanted to send a strong message that use of the drug is
unacceptable. Tensions rose again when the ACMD recommended that
Ecstasy be down-scheduled from Class A (most harmful) to Class
B, and the Brown government promptly ignored that advice too.
At that point, Nutt went public with his criticisms of then Home
Secretary Jacqui Smith. He also famously compared the dangers of
Ecstasy to those of horse-riding, deeply offending both the
horsey set and the Labor government. Smith told Nutt to shut up,
and he managed to do so until last week.
Last week, in a lecture and briefing paper
(http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/estimatingdrugharmspr.html)
at the Center for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College
London, Nutt accused Smith of "distorting and devaluing"
scientific evidence when she decided to reclassify marijuana. He
also said that Ecstasy and LSD are less dangerous than alcohol
and tobacco.
"We have to accept young people like to experiment -- with drugs
and other potentially harmful activities -- and what we should
be doing in all of this is to protect them from harm at this
stage of their lives," he said. "We therefore have to provide
more accurate and credible information. If you think that
scaring kids will stop them using, you are probably wrong."
Nutt's briefing paper included a ranking of various licit and
illicit drugs by comparative harm. Heroin and cocaine were
ranked the most harmful in Nutt's scheme, with alcohol fifth,
marijuana ninth, LSD fourteenth, and Ecstasy eighteenth.
"We need a full and open discussion of the evidence and a mature
debate about what the drug laws are for -- and whether they are
doing their job," Nutt said.
That was too much for Home Minister Alan Johnson. He told
parliament Monday that Smith had warned Nutt not to publicly
disagree with ministry decisions again. "Well, it has happened
again," said Johnson. "On Thursday October 29 Professor Nutt
chose, without prior notification to my department, to initiate
a debate on drug policy in the national media, returning to the
February decisions, and accusing my predecessor or distorting
and devaluing scientific research. As a result, I have lost
confidence in Professor Nutt's ability to be my principal
adviser on drugs."
Prime Minister Brown is standing behind Johnson. An official
spokesman said the firing was based on the "important principle"
that advisers should present advice to ministers but not speak
out against their policy decisions. "It would be regrettable if
there were other resignations, but this is an important point of
principle," the spokesman added. "The government is absolutely
committed to the importance of having independent advice and
evidence presented by advisory bodies."
Nutt defended himself and attacked the government in a London
Sunday times opinion piece
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6898671.ece).
"My sacking has cast a huge shadow over the relationship of
science to policy," he wrote. "Several of the science experts
from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) have
resigned in protest and it seems likely that many others will
follow suit. This means the Home Office no longer has a
functioning advisory group, which is very unfortunate given the
ever-increasing problems of drugs and the emergence of new ones.
Also it seems unlikely that any 'true' scientist -- one who can
only speak the truth -- will be able to work for this, or
future, Home Secretaries.
One of the ACMD members who resigned, chemist Les King, said
ministers were putting inappropriate pressure on scientists to
make drug policy decisions based on political -- not scientific
-- reasons. "It's being asked to rubber stamp a predetermined
position," he said, warning that others could leave the council
over the brouhaha. "If sufficient members do resign, the
committee will no longer be able to operate," King said.
Scientist and Labor MP Robert Winston said Nutt had a "very
reasonable" point about the relative dangers of legal and
illegal drugs, and that he was disappointed by the firing. "I
think that if governments appoint expert advice they shouldn't
dismiss it so lightly," he said. "I think it shows a rather poor
understanding of the value of science."
Reuters reported Saturday that the firing is causing
consternation in scientific circles. Scientists told the news
agency the decision could undermine the integrity of science in
policymaking, including critical areas like health, the
environment, education, and defense.
"Scientific data and their independent interpretation underpin
evidence-based policy making -- and nobody rational could
possibly want a government based on any other type of policy
making," said Chris Higgins, chair of an advisory committee on
spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" disease.
Maurice Elphick, a professor of animal physiology and
neuroscience at Queen Mary, University of London, said
politicians should look elsewhere if they wanted data to back
social policies and allow science to maintain objectivity. "If,
however, politicians really do want to have an objective
assessment of the relative risks to health of different
recreational drugs, then they should listen to what the medical
scientist has to say, not sack him." he said.
================
4. Marijuana: Colorado Ski Town Votes to Legalize It, Measure
Passes With 73%
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/breckenridge_colorado_marijuana_legalization_vote
Residents of the Colorado ski town of Breckenridge
overwhelmingly voted to legalize the possession of small amounts
of marijuana Tuesday. The measure passed with 73% of the vote.
That means as of January 1, people in Breckenridge can legally
possess up to an ounce of marijuana under local ordinance. The
measure also legalizes the possession of marijuana
paraphernalia.
"This votes demonstrates that Breckenridge citizens
overwhelmingly believe that adults should not be punished for
making the safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol,"
said Sean McAllister, Breckenridge attorney and chair of
Sensible Breckenridge, a local project of the statewide
marijuana law reform group Sensible Colorado
(http://www.sensiblecolorado.org).
"As state and national focus grows on this important issue, the
popular ski town of Breckenridge has taken center stage on
marijuana reform -- and not just for medical purposes," said
Brian Vicente of Sensible Colorado. "With this historic vote,
Breckenridge has emerged as a national leader in sensible drug
policy."
The campaign, which had no formal opposition, received a chorus
of local support including endorsements from Breckenridge Town
Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron, former Colorado State
Representative and Breckenridge resident, Gary Lindstrom, and
the Summit Daily News.
Measure 2F was placed on the ballot when over 1,400 local
supporters signed a petition supporting the reform measure.
Under Colorado state law, possession of up to an ounce is
decriminalized and punishable by a $100 fine. But Breckenridge
police will "still have the ability to exercise discretion,"
said Chief Rick Holman. "It's never been something that we've
spent a lot of time on, so I don't expect this to be a big
change in how we really do business," he told the Summit Daily
News.
Breckenridge residents had voted for Amendment 44, a statewide
legalization initiative, by the same percentage in 2006. That
initiative won only 41% of the vote statewide.
Denver became the first city to vote to legalize marijuana
possession under municipal ordinance in 2005.
================
5. Latin America: Mexico Drug War Update
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/mexico_drug_war_update
by Bernd Debussman Jr.
Mexican drug trafficking organizations make billions each year
trafficking illegal drugs into the United States, profiting
enormously from the prohibitionist drug policies of the US
government. Since Mexican president Felipe Calderon took office
in December 2006 and called the armed forces into the fight
against the so-called cartels, prohibition-related violence has
killed over 12,000 people, with a death toll of over 5,800 so
far in 2009. The increasing militarization of the drug war and
the arrest of several high-profile drug traffickers have failed
to stem the flow of drugs -- or the violence -- whatsoever. The
Merida initiative, which provides $1.4 billion over three years
for the US to assist the Mexican government with training,
equipment and intelligence, has so far failed to make a
difference. Here are a few of the latest developments in
Mexico's drug war:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29
In Guerrero, a body was found hanging from a highway overpass
(http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/73518.html). The
unidentified man had been shot in the head, and left with two
notes with messages from "La Familia." In Ciudad Juarez, a
high-ranking police intelligence official was killed when he was
attacked by heavily armed gunmen as he ate in a restaurant. One
policeman was killed, and the official and two bodyguards were
wounded. A sign was later found taking responsibility for the
attack, which was apparently ordered by "El Chapo" Guzman, the
head of the Sinaloa Federation. Additionally, nine other murders
were reported in Ciudad Juarez, four in Sinaloa, one in Tijuana,
and four bodies found in the trunk bed of a truck in Michoacan.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
In Sonora, a well known union leader was killed along with 14
others, including four children
(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/world/americas/01mexico.html?_r=1&emc=eta1).
Margarita Montes Parra, 56, was ambushed by gunmen armed with
AK-47's. It is unclear whether his death was ordered by drug
traffickers or as a result of his union work. One of his sons,
Adrian, was killed two years ago in what is thought to be a
drug-related murder. Parra made headlines by publicly accusing
the governor of Sonora of protecting his son's killers. He also
accused the Veracruz state government of being complicit in drug
trafficking.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Officials identified four bodies that had been found executed in
an SUV in Mexico City
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMi5B2USfJStXxfqgWWr2xjRYpOgD9BNQG2G0).
Three of the men had the word "kidnappers" handwritten on their
body with marker, and a sign was found in the vehicle which read
"for kidnapping, the boss of bosses". This is the nickname of
Beltran-Levy cartel boss Arturo Beltran-Levy. There has been an
increase of violence against kidnappers and petty criminals in
recent months on the part of vigilantes working with drug
traffickers and elements of the police. Additionally, in
Tijuana, 13 suspected cartel gunmen were captured after a
firefight that wounded one soldier and one gunman.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3
In the town of San Pedro Garza Garcia, near Monterrey, the mayor
announced the death of a drug trafficker hours before the body
was actually found
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iy8B0TtqR84c5_2qaDgEpg1YLBcgD9BOE4Q80).
After being sworn in, Mayor Mauricio Fernandez was quoted as
saying that "Black Saldana, who is apparently the one asking for
my head, was found dead today in Mexico City." His announcement
came 3 1/2 hours before the blindfolded corpse of "Black
Saldana" (otherwise identified only by his first name, Hector)
was found. While at first he evaded questions about his prior
knowledge of the incident, Fernandez later claimed that he had
been tipped off by US officials that he was going to be
targeted, and then found out about Black Saldana's death through
unspecified means.
In Durango, a journalist who specialized in police matters was
found dead after being kidnapped by armed men on his way to work
(http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20091103-177659.html).
Alongside the body was found a note, whose contents were not
revealed to the public. Vladimir Antenna Garcia, who wrote for
El Tempo de Durango, is the third journalist killed in Durango
this year, and the eighth journalist killed in Mexico.
In Chihuahua, 18 people were killed in a 48 hour period
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iElkMdWzKgawuknxr5dePfFwzfeQ).
Nine of these murders occurred in Ciudad Juarez. Among them was
a municipal police officer who was gunned down in a hair salon
where he was accompanying his wife. Additionally, in the state
of Veracruz, a high-ranking member of the Zetas organization,
nicknamed "El Gonzo" or "Z-20" was killed after being shot by
Mexican naval personnel. Four people were arrested during the
operation.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
In the city of Chihuahua, police and soldiers shot dead a
federal policeman who was driving one of three cars that failed
to stop for them
(http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/04/world/AP-LT-Drug-War-Mexico.html).
The police and troops were on a joint patrol when they attempted
to stop the suspicious vehicles. The three vehicles ignored
orders to stop, sparking off a gun battle that left the federal
agent and left another unidentified man wounded.
In Ciudad Juarez, six people were gunned down in a bar
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMi5B2USfJStXxfqgWWr2xjRYpOgD9BP80SG1).
Among them was off-duty US Air Force Staff Sgt. David Booher,
who was based at Holloman Air Force base outside Alamogordo, New
Mexico. The motive for the attack was unclear, but it bore all
the hallmarks of a drug-related murder in Ciudad Juarez. The
incident brings the number of deaths in Ciudad Juarez to 30 over
the last four days. Additionally, in Garcia, Nuevo Leon, a
recently appointed police chief was killed along with four of
his bodyguards when they were ambushed by an unknown known of
heavily armed gunmen.
Body count for the week: 111
Body count for the year: 6,286
Body count since December 2006: 15,000+
Visit
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/606/mexico_drug_war_update
to read the last Mexico Drug War Update.
================
6. The Border: US Begins Turning Busted Smugglers Over to Mexico
for Prosecution
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/US_Mexico_border_marijuana_smuggling_prosecution
For years, getting caught trying to smuggle drugs across the
US-Mexican border meant being handed over to US authorities for
prosecution. Problem was, US Attorneys on the border were so
swamped with marijuana smuggling cases, the general rule was
they wouldn't prosecute for less than 500 pounds. Instead, local
prosecutors got those cases, but they were swamped, too. As a
result, thousands of Mexican marijuana smugglers never faced
prosecution in the US -- they were simply deported back over the
border to Mexico.
But now, according to the New York Times
(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/us/31drugs.html?_r=1), under
an agreement reached last month, US authorities have begun
returning captured Mexican pot smugglers to Mexico for
prosecution by Mexican authorities. Late last month, Sonora,
Mexico, resident Eleazar Gonzalez-Sanchez won the dubious
distinction of being the first person turned over to Mexican
authorities after he was popped with 44 pounds by Immigration
and Customs Enforcement at the Nogales, Arizona, border
crossing.
The border agreement is a sign of "our effort to enhance
cooperation between the US and Mexico on prosecuting drug
trafficking cases," said Arizona US Attorney Dennis Burke.
There is plenty of work to do. In the past year, ICE opened 646
smuggling cases out of busts at the Nogales port of entry. In
the fiscal year ending in October 2008, ICE busted 71,000 pounds
of pot on the Arizona border.
The program is a pilot program currently operating in Arizona.
US officials will be monitoring the cases returned to Mexico,
and if satisfied with the results, may extend it all along the
border.
================
7. Drug Legalization: Senator Pushes Amendment to Censor Any
Talk of That
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/grassley_censorship_amendment_legalization
Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), an inveterate drug warrior,
doesn't want to hear the L-word in Washington. This week, the
corn-belt conservative offered an amendment to Senator Jim
Webb's (D-VA) pending bill, the National Criminal Justice
Commission Act
(http://webb.senate.gov/email/criminaljusticereform.html), that
would explicitly forbid any recommendations that even mention
drug legalization or decriminalization.
Webb, a congressional champion of criminal justice and drug law
reform, introduced the bill in a bid to fix what he considers a
failing, costly, and inhumane criminal justice system, including
the war on drugs. Webb's bill contemplates the creation of "a
commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice
system with an eye toward reshaping the process from top to
bottom." That would presumably include taking a close look at
the impact of drug laws.
Grassley's amendment (http://www.askleap.net/grassley.pdf) says
its purpose is "to restrict the authority of the Commission to
examine policies that favor decriminalization of violations of
the Controlled Substances Act or the legalization of any
controlled substances." The amendment in its entirety reads as
follows:
"The Commission shall have no authority to make findings related
to current Federal, State, and local criminal justice policies
and practices or reform recommendations that involve, support,
or otherwise discuss the decriminalization of any offense under
the Controlled Substances Act or the legalization of any
controlled substance listed under the Controlled Substances
Act."
Grassley's politically bowdlerizing ploy quickly drew the ire of
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (http://www.leap.cc).
"Senator Grassley's censorship amendment would block what
Senator Webb is trying to achieve with this bill," said Jack
Cole, a retired undercover narcotics detective who now heads the
LEAP. "All along, Senator Webb has said that in the effort to
fix our broken criminal justice system 'nothing should be off
the table.' That should include the obvious solution of ending
the 'drug war' as a way to solve the unintended problems caused
by that failed policy."
As Grassley's amendment started to draw critical scrutiny, he
attempted to defend himself. In a conference call with media
(http://grassley.senate.gov/news/Article.cfm?customel_dataPageID_1502=23955)
this week, Grassley responded to a question about the amendment:
"Well, my intent on that amendment isn't any different than any
other amendments that are coming up. The Congress is setting up
a commission to study certain things. And the commission is a --
is an arm of Congress, because Congress doesn't have time to
review some of these laws. And -- and -- and the point is, for
them to do what we tell them to do. And one of the things that I
was anticipating telling them not to do is to -- to recommend or
study the legalization of drugs."
When asked if his amendment would include limiting the
discussion of medical marijuana, Grassley responded: "Yes, the
extent to which it would be decriminalization, the answer is
yes."
Grassley added that he had floated several amendments and that
he would not necessarily introduce all of them. As of Thursday,
he had not yet formally introduced his censorship amendment.
================
8. Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/police_drug_corruption
The drug war corrodes the integrity of law enforcement in
multiple ways, as we see this week: Testilying, sexual
extortion, thievery, and the usual just plain old corrupt
practices. Let's get to it:
In Atlanta, federal prosecutors recently dropped charges
(http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/charges-dropped-after-police-183549.html)
accusing a felon of possessing a handgun after a US magistrate
testimony from the Atlanta narcotics squad "less than candid."
Members of the Atlanta police Red Dog drug unit testified that
they pulled the man over after driving past his car and smelling
marijuana. They said after the stop that they found a gun in the
car. But US Magistrate Linda Walker suppressed the evidence,
saying she could not believe the officers had actually smelled
marijuana coming from the passing vehicle and thus had no legal
reason to stop his vehicle. That's what's known as testilying.
In Medina, Washington, a Medina police officer was arrested
October 29 (http://www.kirotv.com/news/21478692/detail.html) for
having sex with a woman he arrested in return for arranging to
get her marijuana possession charges dropped. Officer Ismael
Garcia Ramirez is charged with official misconduct in the
incident, which began when he pulled over the woman for driving
on a suspended license. Garcia Ramirez then found marijuana in
the car and said he arranged to meet with the woman later for
sex. He promised to have her charged dropped, prosecutors said.
The woman said the sex was not consensual.
In Lawrenceville, Georgia, two former Gwinnett County Sheriff's
Office narcotics investigators were arrested for unrelated
offenses October 29
(http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/two-former-gwinnett-officers-178052.html).
Major David Butler, head of the narcotics and vice units until
he resigned under pressure earlier this year, is charged with
using a county credit card to buy unspecified items at an adult
novelty store and to pay for a motel room. He is also charged
with stealing $4,000 from the department's dope buy cash stash.
He's out on $20,000 bail. Former narc Vennie Harden is charged
with three counts of first-degree forgery and one count of
violation of oath of office for forging a supervisor's name on a
form authorizing payment of county funds between February and
April of this year. He's out on $11,800 bail.
In Philadelphia, a former Philadelphia police officer was hit
with more federal charges Wednesday
(http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/110409_more_drug_charges_filed_against_ex-cop).
He had earlier been charged in an alleged violent plot to steal
$1.5 million from a cocaine dealer. Former officer Alhinde
Weems, 34, was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to commit
robbery, drug distribution, and more. According to prosecutors,
Weems twice distributed crack cocaine between December 2008 and
January 2009, and attempted to peddle a kilogram of cocaine.
Weems has behind bars since March, when he was charged in a plot
to dress as a detective, enter a drug dealer's home, rob him,
and shoot him if necessary. He is being held without bail.
In Miami, a former Miami Dade police officer was sentenced last
Friday
(http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Ecstasy-Cop-Gets-Two-Years-67953217.html)
to two years in federal prison for participating in a drug
smuggling conspiracy that was actually an FBI sting. Former
officer Jorge Delgado, 31, admitted using his patrol car to
protect what he thought was a shipment of Ecstasy in exchange
for $2500. He pleaded guilty in July to aiding and abetting an
attempt to possess Ecstasy with the intent to distribute. He
could have gotten up to 20 years.
In Brownsville, Texas, a former US Customs and Border Protection
officer was sentenced Wednesday
(http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9BPJ1K02.html)
to more than 11 years in federal prison for taking bribes to
allow illegal immigrants and illicit drugs to pass into the
country. Sergio Lopez Hernandez, 41, pleaded guilty in April to
taking more than $150,000 in bribes to let car loads of people
and drugs pass through his lane on the B&M International bridge
between Brownsville and Matamoros, Mexico.
================
9. Marijuana Legalization: California Poll of Primary Voters
Finds Narrow Majority Say Keep It Illegal
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/california_marijuana_legalization_poll_capitol_weekly_probolsky
A poll released this week suggests backers of California
marijuana legalization initiatives have their work cut out for
them. The Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research poll
(http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=ydyyddqbzdpszc&xid=ydym4d05tdtym5&done=.ydyyddqbze8szc)
of 750 primary voters in late October found 52% wanted to keep
marijuana illegal, while 38% supported legalization.
An April Field poll (http://www.canorml.org/news/fieldpoll.html)
found that 56% of respondents supported legalization. But that
support came in the context of a polling question about
legalizing and taxing marijuana in the context of California's
ongoing budget crisis. In that poll, respondents said they
favored "legalizing marijuana for recreational use and taxing
its proceeds."
The difference in poll questions influenced the way people
responded, said poll director Adam Probolsky. "By saying there
is a chance to help solve the budget crisis, you'd push some
people toward making it legal," he said. "It makes it more
palatable to people. If we had asked the same question, and said
some studies show we'd have 10,000 more highway deaths, you'd
push it the other way."
The two polls also sampled different voter pools. The Capitol
Weekly poll was based on likely June primary voters, which is a
smaller and more conservative group than general election or
registered voters. The Field poll looked at registered voters.
While the poll may be a shot across the bow for legalization
initiative organizers, it may not accurately predict how such a
campaign will fare, Probolsky said. "This doesn't test the push
messages -- closing the state budget gap versus the public
safety messages," he said. "You need to test half a dozen of
those pros and cons to see where the initiative lies."
When measured by party affiliation, only 25% of Republicans
supported legalization, compared to 45% of Democrats and nearly
48% of voters who declined to state a party preference. Voters
over 65 were most likely to oppose legalization, with 56% saying
prohibition should continue. But that was only one point higher
than the 55% of 18-to-34-year-olds.
The poll was taken the same week the Assemblyman Tom Ammiano
(D-SF) held a hearing on his marijuana legalization bill at the
state capitol in Sacramento. It also comes as petition-gatherers
for at least three different legalization initiatives pound the
pavement for signatures.
================
10. Europe: Dutch Cannabis Cafe Owner on Trial Over Amount of
Pot on Hand
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/dutch_cannabis_coffee_shop_owner_trial
In what is widely viewed as a test case as the Netherlands tilts
toward a tougher stance toward cannabis use and sales, the owner
of one of the country's biggest cannabis coffee shops went on
trial this week on drug trafficking charges
(http://www.javno.com/en-world/dutch-cannabis-shop-owner-goes-on-trial_280293).
Meddy Willemsen, 58, owned and operated the Checkpoint coffee
shop in Terneuzen near the Belgian border until it was shut down
in May 2008.
Now, he and 16 managers and suppliers are on trial in
Middleburg. Prosecutors are calling them an organized crime
ring.
Checkpoint was serving up to 3,000 customers a day, mainly
Belgian and French, but was closed after investigators twice
found large amounts of cannabis on the premises. They found 120
kilograms on premise in 2007 and 110 kilos in May 2008.
Under Holland's "tolerance" policy toward cannabis, people can
purchase up to five grams per day at licensed coffee shops.
Coffee shops are limited to having five pounds on hand. That law
has been widely, if quietly, flouted. For a high-volume coffee
shop like the Checkpoint, for example, five pounds could be
going out the door every hour five grams at a time.
Like all Dutch coffee shops, the Checkpoint also suffered from
the "back door" problem. While the Netherlands provides for
legal sales, it does not provide for a legal cannabis supply to
the coffee shops. That leaves the supply, a $4 billion a year
black market business, to an ever-responsive criminal
underground.
"The question is whether the conditions of the government's
tolerance policy have been violated," Judge Saskia Meeuwis said
at the start of the trial.
Prosecutors certainly thought so. "This is clearly a
contravention of the spirit of the tolerance policy devised by
the government to respond to local demand," said Middelburg
prosecution spokeswoman Elke Kool. "This is the biggest-ever
case of its sort. We are dealing with a real criminal
organization here."
But Raymond Dufour of the Netherlands Drug Policy Foundation
told Cannazine
(http://pr.cannazine.co.uk/200911031230/green/eco-news/coffee-shop-court-case-continues.html)
the case shows that the current system does not work. "Coffee
shops are only allowed to have 500 grams of cannabis in stock,"
he said. "Everybody knows that if you have 2,500 clients a day,
you need more than 500 grams. It's just a silly condition.
Everybody in Terneuzen must have known this."
The trial comes as the Netherlands moves to tighten the reins on
the coffee shops. The national government announced in September
that it wanted to reserve coffee shops for local users -- not
foreign drug tourists. The city of Amsterdam has moved to cut
the number of its coffee shops in half, while other cities are
imposing zoning restrictions on them. In southern Limburg
province, 30 coffee shops will become members-only clubs next
year, while in two border towns, local authorities are shutting
down all coffee shops in a bid to defeat drug tourism.
In April last year, Checkpoint introduced a customer card
(http://www.encod.org/info/COFFEESHOP-CHECKPOINT-INTRODUCES.html)
system intended to prevent customers from exceeding the daily
five gram limit and prevent minors from entering the shop.
A verdict in the Checkpoint case is expected December 2.
================
11. LAST CHANCE: Help StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) Win $50,000
in America's Giving Challenge
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/stopthedrugwar_in_americas_giving_challenge
Dear Reformer:
Our organization, StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet), is a participant
in "America's Giving Challenge," a contest to help nonprofits by
offering prizes ranging from $500 to $50,000 to those who
receive the largest number of donations through the "Causes"
program by November 7 (TOMORROW). The key is not the size of the
donation -- Causes (http://www.causes.com) will accept any gift
of $10 or more, and any gift no matter how large or small
counts equally in the contest. Supporters can make donations
that count in the contest up to once a day.
Please donate today to help StoptheDrugWar.org win this
much-needed funding --
http://www.causes.com/donations/select_donation_method?cause_id=205062
-- Causes is linked in to Facebook too, and that means you can
help by asking your friends on Facebook to donate to
StoptheDrugWar.org in the Challenge too.
But don't just ask your friends to donate, as important as that
is. Write your friends to tell them how important it is to
reform drug policy and eventually end prohibition itself. Send
them this week's issue of our Drug War Chronicle newsletter
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our video about abusive SWAT Raids. Tell them why you feel the
drug war is wasteful and unjust and bad for our country. If
you've donated -- through the Challenge today or in the past --
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Again, the amount of your donation is less important for this
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(Of course the larger the gift, the more it will help us
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Remember that we do what we can from Washington, but in the end
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Thank you!
Sincerely,
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P.S. If you'd rather not participate in the Challenge, but would
still like to donate to us, you can do so at:
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================
12. Weekly: This Week in History
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/607/drug_war_history
November 12, 1970: Keith Stroup forms the National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
November 12, 1980: New York City Mayor Ed Koch admits to having
tried marijuana.
November 6, 1984: The DEA and Mexican officials raid a large
marijuana cultivation and processing complex in the Chihuahua
desert owned by kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero. Seven thousand
campesinos work at the complex, where between 5,000-10,000 tons
of high-grade marijuana worth $2.5 billion is found and
destroyed. Time magazine calls this "the bust of the century,"
and it reveals the existence of Mexico's sophisticated marijuana
smuggling industry.
November 8, 1984: The international marijuana seizure record is
set (still in effect today) -- 4,260,000 lbs in Mexico.
November 6, 1985: Upping the ante in the battle against
extradition, guerillas linked to the Medellin cartel occupy the
Colombian Palace of Justice. At least 95 people are killed when
the Colombian military attack after a 26-hour siege, including
11 Supreme Court justices. Many court documents, including all
pending extradition requests, are destroyed by fire.
November 8, 1987: The New York Times reports that Al Gore said
he last used marijuana when he was 24. He said he first tried
the drug at the end of his junior year at Harvard and used it
again at the beginning of his senior year the next fall. He also
said he used the drug "once or twice" while off-duty in an Army
tour at Bien Hoa, Vietnam, on several occasions while he was in
graduate school at Vanderbilt University and when he was an
employee of a Nashville newspaper (The Nashville Tennessean).
Three days later Gore is quoted in UPI: "We have to be honest
and candid and open in dealing with the (drug) problem."
November 11, 1988: The Anti-Drug Abuse Act establishes the
creation of a drug-free America as a policy goal. A key
provision of the act is the creation of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to set priorities, implement a
national strategy, and certify federal drug-control budgets.
November 6, 1989: Former President Ronald Reagan's Secretary of
State George Shultz is quoted by the Associated Press: "We need
at least to consider and examine forms of controlled
legalization of drugs."
November 7, 2000: In California, citizens vote 61-39% to pass
Proposition 36, diverting nonviolent drug offenders into
treatment rather than prison for first and second offenses. In
Mendocino County voters approve a measure decriminalizing
personal use and growth of up to 25 marijuana plants -- the
Green Party-sponsored Measure G wins 52% of the vote.
November 9, 2001: The San Jose Mercury News reports that despite
objections from former first lady Betty Ford and drug-treatment
authorities, the US Senate Judiciary Committee approved the
nomination of John Walters as director of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy.
November 9, 2001: The Newark Star-Ledger reports that the US
Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Ecstasy in a
study to treat victims of post-traumatic stress disorder.
November 10, 2001: The Austin American-Statesman reports that
police publicly apologized to Maria Flores for a botched drug
raid on May 16.
November 7, 2002: Ruling in favor of NORML Foundation and Media
Access Project complaints, the Federal Communications Commission
says that public service announcements broadcast under the
auspices of the White House drug office advertising program must
identify themselves as being part of that program. As a result
of the ruling, broadcasters are forced to insert tag lines
stating "sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control
Policy."
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