restore Mon, 17 Jul 2000 Volume 1 : Number 557 In this issue: AMMA: Living In Historic Days Meth Bill: latest status Local Option for Marijuana Sales in OCTA 2002 prayer request - Jack Herer REBROADCAST SCHEDULE FRIDAY (9am - 12am) PACIFIC TIME ZONE DrugSense Weekly, July 14, 2000, #157 Mother Earth is in Danger Re: your letter to Bill Cannabis therapeutique Re: article on US v. Gaines Re: AMMA: Re: article on US v. Gaines Providence (RI) Journal - LTE Mary Gale Smith wants you to help end drug war injustice SKA: Sac Bee: Judge expected to reverse medical marijuana ban DND: US NM: Drug Ring Allegedly Cloned Potent Pot LMP- Internet Press Release ( Evidence thrown out) Re: your letter to Bill Re: Cannabis therapeutique The Emperor's recovery.... :-) RB: Spell to free the Herb... Re: Cannabis therapeutique Drug Warrior and his e-mail address Winning the war to end the war Re: MOMS The Emperor's recovery.... :-) Journey For Justice IV Texas 2 local news reports on the hemp fest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 06:41:09 -0700 From: Arthur Livermore To: drctalk@drcnet.org Subject: AMMA: Living In Historic Days Message-ID: <200007161340.GAA07322@smtp.pacifier.com> "I'm aware of the Government theory that the entirety of drug prohibition rests on my deciding for the government, but that's the government's problem, not this court's..." Judge Breyer Greetings, Tomorrow, a historic ruling permitting distribution of cannabis to certain persons will be issued by the 9th Circuit District Court... Well these last few days have sure been interesting! First, the very-long-awaited Abrams study is released, showing what we've all suspected forever, cannabis doesn't harm people with AIDS and probably particularly helps them. Then, on Friday morning at 9:AM at the Department of Public Health in San Francisco, history was made when a few dozen hard-core supporters attended the press conference held just outside DPH headquarters at 101 Grove Street in San Francisco. Speaking were lots of officials, including the Chief of Narcotics for S.F.P.D., The District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco, numerous public health officials, Wayne Justmann from the San Francisco Patient Resource Center, Steve Kubby, and some others. Everyone was very excited at this event and everyone then followed Oakland City Official Jeffrey W. Jones over to Federal Court for the 10:AM hearing before Judge Breyer. The Judge obviously got up on the correct side of the bed that morning. The lone prosecutor actually seemed quite pitiful sitting across from the giants at the defense table, including Gerald F. "Dean" Uelman, William G. "Bill" Panzer, Rob Raich, and a couple of other defense attorneys I didn't know were there too, all facing the full weight of the Federal Government, in the form of the one single young U.S. Attorney versus these giants sitting at the defense table. It was a sight to behold. There was NOT A SINGLE MARSHALL/BAILIFF to be seen anywhere near the courtroom. Just the Judge, his clerk, the court reporter, and the lone prosecutor, along with about 70 hard-core supporters and the defense. What a moment as the Judge kept on reminding the U.S. Attorney exactly how the law works: It just doesn't work that way, Mr. U.S. Attorney. The 9th circuit tells me what to do and I do it. Can you imagine the KAOS if I just arbitrarily made rulings ignoring the 9th Circuit? They have ORDERED me to reconsider my ruling, & I will do so on Monday. I'm aware of the Government theory that the entirety of drug prohibition rests on my deciding for the government, but that's the government's problem, not this court's... I got the impression that the judge felt sorry for the weak and pitiful prosecutor and that's why he's waiting until Monday to release his order, so he wouldn't have to hurt the poor prosecutor's feelings in person! The very historic rulings to be issued by Judge Breyer'e courtroom tomorrow will be truly important and will formally permit some distribution of MMJ to certain persons, despite Federal Law which might ordinarily prohibit such activity. The outgoing Oakland City Attorney said that the City is ready to begin distribution of medical cannabis on Tuesday, if permitted by the historic order to be issued tomorrow by Judge Breyer. The United States has about two weeks to appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court hears about 1% of cases referred to it so even if the U.S. Justice Department requests a hearing, it's fairly unlikely that the court will even hear the case. Then again this is potentially a huge item so who can guess what will happen. Especially with the courts. Even if the Supreme Court did agree to hear the case, it would not be scheduled on this year's calendar and it now appears unlikely that any "stay of execution of tomorrow's order" would be granted in the interim by the U.S. supreme court. So, barring unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow Judge Breyer is expected to overturn the Federal Prohibition against distribution of Medical Cannabis! Have a nice day and keep the faith! Bob Ames bob@rush.com Forwarded by: Arthur Livermore, Director Falcon Cove Biology Laboratory 44500 Tide Avenue Arch Cape, OR 97102 503-436-1882 alive@pacifier.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 02:25:14 -0500 From: Ben Masel To: dpfwi@drugsense.org, drctalk@drcnet.org, restore@crrh.org Subject: Meth Bill: latest status Message-ID: <3971635B.953008F6@tds.net> Caught up with representative Baldwin at the Dane County Democratic Party picnic this afternoon.... No action taken at Thursday's markup session. Nothing scheduled for coming week. When it does reach the markup session, Bob Barr will introduce an Amendment striking secret searches. Barney Frank will introduce one protecting ISPs and Search engines. (I hope this will be better than the one passed by the Senate, which allowed the justice dept. to order the summary removal of material ALLEGED to be in violation. Anybody in his District want to ask him?) Tammy will introduce the "ACLU's amendments." She promises me a copy in the next few days. The Justice Dept. and most of the Republican leadership are still behind the whole package. From the repeated posponements, I extrapolate that Committee Chair Henry Hyde has qualms about the current package, and is hoping a consensus will emerge on a stripped down version. With the House set to close down from July 31 til Sept 5, and Adjournment on Oct. 6, there's some hope this thing will die without a floor vote. If so it will be the first major antidrug initiative in a generation to be defeated by popular initiative. Keep those calls and letters flowing. As we enter election season, there are opportunities to meet your Reps in person. Use them. Duh. ben ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 23:52:26 PDT From: "Bruce House" To: restore@crrh.org Cc: rimchamp77@zdnetonebox.com Subject: Local Option for Marijuana Sales in OCTA 2002 Message-ID: In the next verson of the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, we took a line out of a Colorado Initiative that would add a local option. Note: "Cannabis" means the intoxicating buds, Hemp in OCTA would remain unregulated and not within the local option, nor would medicinal cannabis. "Municipalities and Counties shall have the option to restrict or prohibit comercial sales of cannabis and cannabis products upon a vote of the people. This option does not extend to cannabis medicinal products, hemp products, cannabis personal use, or hemp personal use." OCTA already allows for the State to limit quantities for sale. Peace, Bruce House From: JT Barrie To: restore@crrh.org Subject: Local options on drug sales? Message-ID: <396DEA10.53BD@zdnetonebox.com> >I've been advocating in my campaign both the decriminalization of use and >possession of all drugs and sales as recreational drugs of some of the >presently illegal drugs and including alcohol and tobacco. What would be >your reaction - if the use and possession were legal throughout the state - >to having each individual county decide which drugs could be sold in stores >throughout their county. This would include restricting sales of marijuana >through prescription only in many counties. Tax >revenues from sales in counties would be distributed pro rata based on >sales and civil liabilities would be also based on sales volume. > >Counties could use net revenue for any purpose they want including schools, >roads, and more police/jails. Sales of drugs could be criminal and use >outside of home could be restricted. > > The "war on drugs" is not about public safety - it's about >increasing public safety budgets. The anti drug campaign is not about >public service - it's about using public hysteria to protect the profit >margins of those who are legally allowed to promote dangerous drugs to your >children. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 00:29:03 -0400 From: Richard Lake To: hemp-talk@hemp.net, drug_war_news@egroups.com, drctalk@drcnet.org, restore@crrh.org, DPFT-L@TAMU.EDU, friends@freecannabis.org Subject: prayer request - Jack Herer Message-ID: <4.3.1.20000716002227.00a7f3a0@mapinc.org> Forwarded from the MOMS list: Information is still sketchy, but I just got news that Jack Herer is hospitalized in Eugene, Oregon. Early word is that he had a stroke. I will update you as more information comes in. Love ann and He's at the VA. Jeanne just flew up there a little while ago. He was up there for the hemp fest at Conde's. (from Ann) I just talked with Ann and there is no further word. More when Ann hears from Jeanne. Richard Richard Lake Sr. Editor; DrugNews More than 40,304 Drug-Related News Clippings in a powerful searchable database! http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/ We Get Published More than 3,985 published letters supporting drug policy reform: http://www.mapinc.org/lte/ Get Involved - Learn about the Issues http://www.drugsense.org Contribute - Help us Help Reform http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm Find Information - Learn how to Make a Difference http://www.mapinc.org ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 12:00:20 -0700 From: Aaron Isenagle To: restore Subject: REBROADCAST SCHEDULE FRIDAY (9am - 12am) PACIFIC TIME ZONE Message-ID: <396F6344.36419C6E@wildbearnet.net> --------------8A8743A51C83A96D3E954D30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit FOING.COM FREEDOM OF INFORMATION NETWORK GROUP RADIOFOING search for RADIOFOING at shoutcast.com SEARCH WORDS: (FOING, TECHNO, WWW.FOING.COM) RE-BROADCAST SCHEDULE (PACIFIC) FRIDAY (9am - 12pm) SATURDAY (1 - 9am) SUNDAY (1 - 9am) FREE MP3's FOR THE ENVIRONMENT -Green Party- 7-7RalphNader 7-8JeloBiafra 7-8SteveGaskin -Injustice- 7-7Prisons 7-10Driving While Black -other RADIO FOING clips- 7-7Rich 7-7Haunted 7-8Normal 7-8Paranoia1 7-8Paranoia2 radio foing mp3 music news and information foing@foing.com idiot@foing.com www.foing.com Listen to mp3 files..download a free trial version of WinAmp by Nullsoft and for Real Audio ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 12:26:43 -0700 From: webmaster@drugsense.org (DrugSense) To: newsletter@drugsense.org Subject: DrugSense Weekly, July 14, 2000, #157 Message-ID: ********************************************************************** DRUGSENSE WEEKLY ********************************************************************** DrugSense Weekly, July 14, 2000 #157 Read This Publication On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/current.htm ------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS: * Feature Article The Shadow Conventions / by Ethan Nadelmann * Weekly News in Review Drug Policy- (1) Auditors Critical of Drug Czar, Staff Turnover (2) Shadow Conventions Plan Dark Humor (3) An Unlikely Battlefield in the Drug War (4) The Corruption of Col. James Hiett (5) The Poisoning of Suburbia (6) Ecstasy Brings Much Agony to Central Ohio (7) Cancelled S.J. Rave Moves To Fresno (8) When Dancing is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Dance Law Enforcement & Prisons- (9) Editorial: Death Delayed (10) Women Freed by Clinton From 'Harsh' Sentences (11) NY Pot Arrests Out Of Line With Rest of U.S. (12) Editorial: Task Force is Another Weapon in War On Drugs Cannabis & Hemp- (13) OPED: Response to Medical Marijuana (14) The Life and Death of Peter McWilliams (15) Saginaw Attorney's Marijuana Push Falls Short International News- (16) Colombia Tries New Drug Eradication (17) Kazakhstan: NATO Chief Says Russia is a Partner, not a Threat (18) Editorial: Preparing to Remake Mexico (19) Editorial: The Cartel (20) Mexico: 2nd Lawyer for Cartel Figure Slain (21) CN ON: Police Bust Massive Ecstasy Lab (22) New Zealand: Chasing The Dragon In Drug Underworld * Hot Off The 'Net LA Times Calls McCzar Hollywood Scam "Hair brained" ONDCP Spends a Billion DrugSense Gets the RESULTS McCzar/Forbes Testify before Congressional Subcommittee Peter McWilliams Political Cartoon Pans Judge King * Quote of the Week Samuel Adams ************************************************************************ FEATURE ARTICLE The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, http://www.drugpolicy.org/ ...Invites You To: THE SHADOW CONVENTIONS _______________________________________ If you think our drug policies are doing more harm than good If you think police should stop arresting people for marijuana If you think there are too many people behind bars on drug charges If you think the war on drugs is a poor excuse for reinstituting Jim Crowin America If you think drug testing has gone too far in this country If you can no longer stand the lies and hypocrisies of the drug war If you think it's time for a REAL debate in this country about how we deal with drugs _______________________________________ ... then COME TO THE SHADOW CONVENTIONS!!! There we will launch a new anti-war movement -- a movement to end the war on drugs and demand that the country's drug policies be based on common sense, science, public health and human rights. Tuesday, August 1, 2000: Philadelphia 10 AM - 10 PM Annenberg Center University of Pennsylvania 3680 Walnut Street @ 37th Street Tuesday, August 15, 2000: Los Angeles 10 AM - 10 PM Patriotic Hall 1816 S.Figueroa St. Below please find URLs to flyers in PDF (printable) format for the two Shadow Conventions. We hope you can post these, and/or email/snail mail them to interested parties. If you have trouble printing them please call 212-548-0611 and we will fax them to you. You can find a copy of the Event Flyer for the Philadelphia Shadow Convention at: http://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/PhillyFlyer.pdf and the Los Angeles Shadow Convention at: http://www.lindesmith.org/shadowconventions/LAFlyer.pdf Download the free Adobe PDF reader at: http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html ********************************************************** HOW TO REGISTER: Go to http://www.DrugPolicy.Org/ If you do not have access to a computer, please call 212-548-0611 (Please Note: this phone number is voice mail only for registration. Any questions or comments can be included on the online registration form.) *********************************************************** JUST SAY NO TO THE WAR ON DRUGS Drug policy reform is rapidly emerging as a new movement for political and social justice in the United States. The Shadow Conventions will be the most significant gatherings to date of citizens calling for an end to the war on drugs. Prominent speakers include New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the first U.S. governor to call for marijuana legalization and other major drug policy reforms; Reverend Jesse Jackson, who will address the racially disproportionate impact of current drug policies; and California Congressman Tom Campbell, the first major party politician to run for statewide office on a platform that includes significant drug policy reform. The three principal themes at the Philadelphia convention on August 1 will be: (1) The impact of the war on drugs on American families; (2) The economic costs and consequences of current drug policies; and (3) The evisceration of American civil rights and liberties by the war on drugs. The Shadow Convention gathering in Los Angeles on August 15 will focus on: (1) Protecting our youth from both drug abuse and the war on drugs; (2) The racist origins, conduct and consequences of the drug war; and (3) The public health implications of U.S. drug policies. The Shadow Conventions will include hundreds of citizens who currently have family members incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. Some will speak publicly, as will others who have lost family members to AIDS, or seen their families torn apart by policies that criminalize drug use during pregnancy. A choir of young people whose parents are incarcerated will perform. Former military officers will dissent, clergy will preach, and leading drug policy reformers will assess current drug war strategies and propose pragmatic alternatives. They will be joined by a variety of musicians, comedians and other entertainers. Our message is simple and straight forward: The war on drugs is doing more harm than good. Our current drug policies are driven largely by ignorance, fear, prejudice and profit. Our political leadership seems able and willing to tolerate extraordinary levels of hypocrisy in its policies and statements regarding drugs and drug users. THE UNITED STATES DESPERATELY NEEDS A TRULY OPEN AND HONEST DIALOGUE -- ONE THAT ASPIRES TO A NEW NATIONAL DRUG POLICY BASED UPON COMMON SENSE, SCIENCE, PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS. The Shadow Conventions present drug policy reformers with a unique opportunity to educate our fellow citizens regarding the costs and consequences of the government's "war on drugs." It is not just the brief moments when our message will engage the national media, but also the changing perceptions among media, politicians and others as we successfully organize our efforts and combine with others seeking to reform backward and entrenched public policies. As we work on putting together these two conventions, we can feel the momentum building behind our efforts. Let's make the most of this opportunity. You can help make these Shadow Conventions a success in several ways. First, plan to attend or volunteer if at all possible. You can register FREE by visiting http://www.drugpolicy.org/ on the Internet or by calling 212-548-0611 (Please Note: this phone number is voice mail only for registration. Any questions or comments can be included on the online registration form.) At the same time, your generous financial support will enable us to reach even more people and help ensure that we reach the widest possible audience. Your special contribution of $25, $50 or $100, will help TLC-DPF advance the cause of drug policy reform during this critical election year. Contributions can be accepted at the Website listed above or sent to: Attn: Shadow Conventions The Lindesmith Center - Drug Policy Foundation 925 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10019. Thank you, and see you there!! Ethan Nadelmann Executive Director The Lindesmith Center - Drug Policy Foundation http://www.drugpolicy.org/ http://www.dpf.org/ === The Lindesmith Center, created in 1994, is the leading independent drug policy institute in the United States. The Drug Policy Foundation, created in 1987, has been the principal membership-based organization advocating for drug policy reform. The two organizations merged on July 1, 2000. We plan to launch, under a new name, later this year, with the objective of building a national drug policy reform movement. ************************************************************************ WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW ===================================================== Domestic News- Policy --------------- COMMENT: (1-4) Early July's drug news promised a long hot summer for McCzar and his increasingly embattled policy. Potential problem areas suggested by this potpourri of articles: ONDCP's internal woes, increasing interest in the shadow conventions, a stubborn problem with rural meth production, and an intelligent analysis of just why the Plan Colombia Congressional victory may have baited a big trap for the drug war. (1) AUDITORS CRITICAL OF DRUG CZAR, STAFF TURNOVER WASHINGTON - The hard-charging former general who's overseeing American anti-drug efforts is a relentless taskmaster whose overworked office has suffered disturbingly high turnover, auditors say in a sobering new report released Thursday. Drug czar Barry McCaffrey, whose responsibilities include a new multimillion-dollar campaign targeting the Central Valley's covert methamphetamine trade, comes under sustained fire in the highly detailed audit ordered by Congress. The criticism includes suggestions that McCaffrey's staff is stretched too thin to properly oversee programs like the one now underway in nine Central Valley counties. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jul 2000 Source: Commercial Appeal (TN) Copyright: 2000 The Commercial Appeal Contact: letters@gomemphis.com Address: Box 334, Memphis, TN 38101 Fax: (901)529-6445 Website: http://www.gomemphis.com/ Author: Michael Doyle Note: Michael Doyle is a Washington reporter for Scripps-McClatchy Western Service. URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n939/a02.html === (2) SHADOW CONVENTIONS PLAN DARK HUMOR Organizers Say Substance, Not Just Satire, Also Will Be Offered Because Democrats And Republicans Are Too Timid To Face Issues LOS ANGELES -- It's an unconventional approach to presidential politics, but that's the idea. Dismayed that the Republican and Democratic national conventions have become "coronations," a loose coalition of political activists, religious leaders, and social satirists has decided to hold its own. Celebrities aside, the emphasis will be on what convention planners view as the government's failed drug policy, the growing gap between rich and poor, and the need for serious campaign-finance reform, as well as the possibility of taking the nation public by selling stock in America. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jul 2000 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2000 San Jose Mercury News Contact: letters@sjmercury.com Address: 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190 Fax: (408) 271-3792 Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Author: Lynda Gorov, Boston Globe URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n932/a03.html Related: http://www.mapinc.org/shadow.htm Cited: http://www.shadowconventions.com/ === (3) AN UNLIKELY BATTLEFIELD IN THE DRUG WAR Salt Lake City Confronts Meth Labs, Trafficking Increase SALT LAKE CITY - Pioneer Park was named for the clean-living founders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The neatly groomed common of shade trees and footpaths is six blocks from Temple Square, world headquarters of the Mormon faith. It is also a prime location for scoring drugs. [snip] Utah ranks among the top 10 states for total meth labs and No. 1 for "speed" cookeries per capita, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In the early 1990s, the DEA and local police agencies raided about a half-dozen labs a year in the Beehive State. They busted 266 in 1999 mainly in the Salt Lake region - and are on a pace to at least equal that number this year. [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 09 Jul 2000 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2000 The Dallas Morning News Contact: letterstoeditor@dallasnews.com Feedback: http://dmnweb.dallasnews.com/letters/ Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Forum: http://forums.dallasnews.com:81/webx Author: Paul Pringle URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n948/a09.html === (4) THE CORRUPTION OF COL. JAMES HIETT When the commander of U.S. anti-drug efforts in Colombia got involved in drug running, Congress should have rethought its massive military aid bill - but it didn't. July 5, 2000 - BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- In two weeks, a retired Army colonel will stand for sentencing before Judge Edward Korman in the Cadman Plaza federal courthouse. The colonel's name has never been uttered on the Senate floor. You can rummage in vain for any mention of him in congressional committee testimony and reports. [snip] Yet the case of Col. James Hiett, former commander of U.S. Army anti-drug advisors in Colombia, due to be sentenced in mid-July for covering up his wife's drug smuggling, has everything to do with the passage last week of more than $1 billion in military aid to Colombia. Hiett's case offers dark hints of what the United States is in for by turning the Colombian drug-war theater into a large-scale American military enterprise -- and it reveals, too, some of the costs of the drug war on America's own streets. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jul 2000 Source: Salon.com (US Web) Copyright: 2000 Salon.com Contact: salon@salonmagazine.com Feedback: http://www.salon.com/contact/letters/ Website: http://www.salon.com/ Forum: http://tabletalk.salon.com/ Author: Bruce Shapiro URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n930/a01.html === COMMENT: (5-8) Another potential source of woe for McCzar: Ecstasy's sustained popularity has provoked harsh rhetoric reminiscent of the crack and meth scares, but with some notable differences; the ecstasy user group is harder to demonize; also the centrality of dancing and the sheer size of raves creates both unique problems and opportunities. Those differences have generated calls for some restraint in dealing with this latest "menace." We'll see. (5) THE POISONING OF SUBURBIA An 18-year-old girl died after taking a pill she thought was ecstasy. Is her death a sign of more tragedies to come? July 06, 2000 - Sara Aeschlimann called her mom, Janice, in typical fashion at 12:30 one Saturday night. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm OK and that I'll be staying at Garrett's house," she said. [snip] By 3 the next afternoon, Mother's Day, she was dead. Instead of taking methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), the only chemical contained in unadulterated ecstasy, she had unknowingly swallowed paramethoxymethamphetamine, a much more dangerous chemical known as PMA. The DuPage County coroner's office determined that Sara died from an accidental overdose of PMA, a substance also believed to be responsible for at least two other recent deaths in the Chicago area. [snip] R. Terry Furst, an associate professor of anthropology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, has studied the demographics of drug users. He believes the ecstasy-taking crowd, whose numbers have increased by more than 50 percent among high school seniors in the past two years, is a whole different demographic group than users of drugs like heroin, who are mostly from lower economic strata. Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jul 2000 Source: Salon.com (US Web) Copyright: 2000 Salon.com Contact: salon@salonmagazine.com Feedback: http://www.salon.com/contact/letters/ Website: http://www.salon.com/ Forum: http://tabletalk.salon.com/ Author: Ted Oehmke URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n940/a07.html Related: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm === (6) ECSTASY BRINGS MUCH AGONY TO CENTRAL OHIO Young people are abusing an alarming array of drugs, but one seems to be reaching epidemic proportions -- and with devastating effects. So-called Ecstasy, which comes in at least three forms, has been implicated nationally in the sexual assaults of approximately 5,000 teen-age and young adult women. The drug also has caused 49 deaths. As a pediatrician, I have seen the destructive effects of this drug. I have a patient who is 16, white and middle-class. She is not a drug addict. She is what I would call your average American kid. I treated her after she took Ecstasy and was raped twice. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jul 2000 Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH) Copyright: 2000, The Columbus Dispatch Contact: letters@dispatch.com Website: http://www.dispatch.com/ Author: Peter D. Rogers, MD URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n958/a06.html Note: Dr. Peter D. Rogers, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital, is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Substance Abuse and the Section on Adolescent Health. === (7) CANCELLED S.J. RAVE MOVES TO FRESNO County Banned All-Night Dances; Promoters Say New Event Will Draw 80,000 The all-night dance parties that Santa Clara County kicked out of its fairgrounds are moving to Fresno -- and event promoters, upset about last week's sudden cancellation of ``raves'' here on July 1 and July 22, have promised to bus people from San Jose to ``bigger and better'' 80,000-person parties in the Central Valley. Undeterred by a reputation of violence and drug use at raves -- both of which surfaced at a June 18 event sponsored by promoter Coolworld.com at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds -- officials in Fresno say they welcome the events, which have been promoted heavily on MTV, the national cable music channel. [snip] Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2000 San Jose Mercury News Contact: letters@sjmercury.com Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Author: Eric R. Drudis, edrudis@sjmercury.com URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n946/a06.html === (8) WHEN DANCING IS OUTLAWED, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL DANCE In the movie Footloose, a group of town elders tried to keep dancing illegal, leading to a revolt by the youth of the town. This seemingly absurd plot is being played out today in the U.S. In recent weeks, a crackdown has begun on raves--all night dance parties where some participants are taking drugs like MDMA (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine), aka Ecstasy. [snip] With the exception of San Francisco, which is working on ordinances requiring clubs to provide water and safety information at raves, our public health departments have taken no action to promote safety at raves. Instead, Congress is introducing bills to ratchet up sentencing for crimes involving MDMA (since that tactic has worked so well in the past). One alarming bill would even make it illegal to post information about the drug on the Internet, putting in peril not only the First Amendment, but also any organization distributing harm reduction information about MDMA. Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jul 2000 Source: Las Vegas Weekly (NV) Copyright: 2000 Radiant City Publications, LLC Contact: lasvegas@lasvegasweekly.com Website: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/ Author: Ellen Komp, http://www.lindesmith.org/ URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n959/a06.html Note: Ellen Komp is a program associate at The Lindesmith Center-San Francisco and a member of the San Francisco Rave/Club Drug Task Force. ===================================================== Law Enforcement & Prisons --------- COMMENT: (9-10) In two related actions which could serve to turn a very unfavorable spotlight on his Department of "Justice," the President made rare use of his clemency powers. (9) EDITORIAL: DEATH DELAYED Clinton Postponed The First Federal Execution In Decades. Good. Now Commute The Sentence. President Bill Clinton has postponed what would be the first federal execution in almost four decades, delaying Juan Raul Garza's Aug. 5 date with death at least until procedures for seeking clemency are put in place. Anything that slows the official machinery of death is worth doing. It would be better still if Clinton commuted Garza's sentence to life in prison, and better yet if Congress repealed the law that put the federal government back in the business of sanctioned killing. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jul 2000 Source: Newsday (NY) Copyright: 2000, Newsday Inc. Contact: letters@newsday.com Fax: (516)843-2986 Website: http://www.newsday.com/ URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n954/a03.html === (10) WOMEN FREED BY CLINTON FROM 'HARSH' SENTENCES PRESIDENT CLINTON has released from prison four women convicted of drug crimes who received harsher sentences than men involved in their cases. The President felt that the women, all first-time offenders, had served a disproportionate amount of time and granted them clemency. Mr Clinton's action highlighted growing concerns among politicians, judges, penal activists and families of inmates that conspiracy laws passed by Congress in the 1980s imposing long mandatory sentences in the "war on drugs" are unfair. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 Source: Times, The (UK) Copyright: 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd Contact: letters@the-times.co.uk Website: http://www.the-times.co.uk/ Author: Ian Brodie URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n959/a03.html === COMMENT: (11-12) While the media continued to show interest in the huge variations in risk of marijuana arrests around the country, an item from Pennsylvania extolled one of the responsible mechanisms: multi-agency regional task forces with an exclusive focus on "drug crime." They have proliferated under McCaffrey. (11) NY POT ARRESTS OUT OF LINE WITH REST OF U.S. ALBANY, NY (AP) - Odds of getting arrested for marijuana use or possession are better in New York than in any other state except Alaska, according to a statistical analysis conducted for a marijuana-law reform group. The study, based on FBI crime data, also shows a wide disparity between the way police enforce marijuana laws from county to county in New York. [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 09 Jul 2000 Source: Associated Press Copyright: 2000 Associated Press Author: Joel Stashenko, Associated Press Writer URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n951/a05.html === (12) EDITORIAL: TASK FORCE IS ANOTHER WEAPON IN WAR ON DRUGS Drug users and dealers beware. The Bradford County Drug Task Force is back in business. [snip] When you see what narcotics do to people, it's easy to come to the conclusion that the war on drugs is worth fighting. We hope to see the task force become operational in the near future. Once its members hit the streets, arrests and convictions will definitely follow. And Bradford County will be better for it. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 Source: Daily Review (PA) Contact: review@epix.net Website: http://www.thedailyreview.com/ URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n937/a06.html ======================================================= Cannabis & Hemp- ------------- COMMENT: (13-14) A modern update of the same nonsense that failed to persuade California voters in '96 was published over the signature of Florida's indefatigable drug czar. The logical rebuttal appears in Liberty Magazine: Peter McWilliams martyrdom by government insistence on McDonough's lie: cannabis can't be medicine. Why? Because we say so. (13) OPED: RESPONSE TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA I read with interest the St. Petersburg Times editorial, "Reefer madness remains," (June 24) which argues for more research on the potential benefits of so-called "medical marijuana." Madness is the appropriate word to describe the current trend of state ballot initiatives that puts seriously ill people at risk of getting even sicker by advocating the smoke of burning leaves as medicine. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jul 2000 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Copyright: 2000 St. Petersburg Times Contact: letters@sptimes.com Website: http://www.sptimes.com/ Forum: http://www.sptimes.com/Interact.html Author: James R. McDonough Note: James R McDonough Is Director Of The Florida Office Of Drug Control. URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n956/a07.html === (14) THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER McWILLIAMS Another Casualty Of The War On Drugs On June 14, Natalie Fisher went to Peter McWilliamss' home, where she worked as housekeeper to the wheelchair-bound victim of AIDS and cancer. In the bathroom on the second floor, she found his life-less body. He had choked to death on his own vomit. [snip] "Unable to keep down the life-saving prescription medications, by November 1998, four months after my arrest, my viral load soared to more than 256,000. In 1996 when my viral load was only 12,500, I had already developed an AIDS-related cancer .... Even so, the government would not yield. It continued to urine test me. If marijuana were found in my system, my mother and brother would lose their homes and I would be returned to prison" said Peter. [snip] Pubdate: August 2000 Source: Liberty Magazine (US) Copyright: 2000 Liberty Foundation Contact: letterstoeditor@LibertySoft.com Address: Box 1118, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Website: http://www.libertysoft.com/liberty/index.html Author: R. W. Bradford Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n000/a188.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mcwilliams.htm Cited: http://www.forahero.com/ URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n948/a03.html === COMMENT:(15) The failure of an ad hoc attempt by a Michigan attorney to qualify a recreational pot initiative confirmed once again that enough money to pay signature gatherers is where successful initiatives must start. (15) SAGINAW ATTORNEY'S MARIJUANA PUSH FALLS SHORT Gregory C. Schmid's dream went up in smoke. The Saginaw lawyer's band of 3,000 grass roots volunteers collected about half of the 302,711 signatures they needed by Monday to put the decriminalization of marijuana on the November statewide ballot. "The miracle didn't happen," Schmid said. "We ran out of daylight, as they say. "With a little more time and a little more money we could have pulled off the miracle of the century." After spending $10,000 out of his own pocket, coupled with a few thousand dollars more in contributions, the state coordinator of the National Organization of the Reform of Marijuana Laws says he'll try again before the 2002 general election. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 Source: Saginaw News (MI) Copyright: 2000 The Saginaw News Feedback: http://fl.mlive.com/about/toeditor.html Website: http://sa.mlive.com/ Forum: http://sa.mlive.com/forums/ Author: Barrie Barber, The Saginaw News URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n960/a06.html ====================================================== International News ------------- COMMENT: (16-17) After an announcement that Colombia had reluctantly agreed to test anti-coca herbicides stirred environmental furor, a clarification was issued: herbicides will be tested "outside Colombia." This sounds like disinformation; American (later UN) sponsored testing of Fusarium sp. has been conducted in Kazakhstan for years, see: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n1211/a05.html. Just by chance, Kazakhstan was in the news again last week. (16) COLOMBIA TRIES NEW DRUG ERADICATION WASHINGTON (AP) - Colombia has agreed to work with the U.N. Drug Control Agency on field testing a fungicide that some experts believe has great potential for eradicating narcotics plants. [snip] Colombian Environmental Minister Juan Mayr said the tests will be conducted outside of Colombia ``because any agent foreign to the native ecosystems of our country could present grave risks to the environment and human health.'' The statement, issued by his office in Bogota, was in a letter to The New York Times, which first reported the planned tests on Thursday. Mayr claimed his remarks had been misinterpreted. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 Source: Associated Press Copyright: 2000 Associated Press Author: George Gedda, Associated Press Writer URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n938/a11.html === (17) KAZAKHSTAN: NATO CHIEF SAYS RUSSIA IS A PARTNER, NOT A THREAT ALMATY, Kazakhstan: NATO no longer sees Russia as a threat, but as a partner in efforts to combat weapons proliferation and drug smuggling, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said in Kazakhstan on Tuesday. We no longer regard Russia as a menace," Robertson said during a visit to Kazakhstan's capital Astana, in remarks carried on national television. He said Russia and the U.S.-led alliance are cooperating in fighting drug trafficking and weapons proliferation. Robertson is on a tour of Central Asia for talks on regional security and military cooperation. He met Kazak officials Tuesday, and is to leave Wednesday for Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jul 2000 Source: Times of India, The (India) Copyright: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 2000 Contact: times@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in Website: http://www.timesofindia.com/ Author: AP URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n929/a01.html === COMMENT: (18-20) While defeat of the PRI raises hopes for meaningful change in Mexico, an enduring criminal drug market guarantees that nothing can reverse the official corruption which all agree is Mexico's biggest problem. Absence of this basic insight from media pronouncements is still shocking: the NYT mustered nothing but platitudes; a hand wringing series in the San Diego Union-Tribune might have been written by the DEA. Ironically, in real time, the murder of yet lawyer with ties to the same cartel overlapped series publication. (18) EDITORIAL: PREPARING TO REMAKE MEXICO Mexicans have understandably high expectations for Vicente Fox Quesada, the man they elected to break the 71-year presidential monopoly of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. [snip] The most important issue facing Mr. Fox is government corruption. He has promised to remove police functions from the highly politicized Interior Ministry and the attorney general's office and establish a new, more professional ministry of security and justice. Those are necessary steps. Mexico's police have become notorious for protecting drug dealers and preying on ordinary citizens while facing little threat of investigation or punishment. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2000 The New York Times Company Contact: letters@nytimes.com Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ Forum: http://www10.nytimes.com/comment/ Section: Editorial URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n939/a08.html === (19) EDITORIAL: THE CARTEL: A SPECIAL REPORT Introduction Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo describes narcotics trafficking as the greatest threat to Mexico's national security. A report produced by his own government warned that increasingly powerful drug cartels threaten Mexico's political stability and, if left unchecked, could render Mexico ungovernable. Something close to that is already happening a mere 20 miles from downtown San Diego, just across the border in Tijuana: Two police chiefs assassinated by drug traffickers in six years, dozens of prosecutors and police investigators killed and a murder rate at least seven times that of San Diego. Pubdate: Sun, 09 Jul 2000 Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Copyright: 2000 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Contact: letters@uniontrib.com Fax: (619) 293-1440 Website: http://www.uniontrib.com/ Forum: http://www.uniontrib.com/cgi-bin/WebX Part-1: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n961/a06.html Part-2: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n962/a02.html Part-3: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n961/a03.html Part-4: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n962/a06.html Part-5: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n961/a05.html Part-6: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n961/a04.html URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n949/a05.html === (20) MEXICO: 2ND LAWYER FOR CARTEL FIGURE SLAIN Was 'Well-planned Execution,' Official Says; No Arrests Made MEXICO CITY -- An attorney defending the accused financial mastermind of the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel has been slain in the second such incident in less than four months. The brazen daytime killing of Eugenio Zafra Garca, 65, sent a chill through Mexico's legal community. Zafra's clients included the cartel's alleged financial adviser, Jesus "Chuy" Labra Aviles, a Tijuana businessman arrested in March while watching his son play football. The body of another Labra attorney, Gustavo Galvez Reyes, 32, was found wrapped in a blanket. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Copyright: 2000 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Contact: letters@uniontrib.com Website: http://www.uniontrib.com/ Forum: http://www.uniontrib.com/cgi-bin/WebX Authors: Sandra Dibble and S. Lynne Walker URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n960/a07.html === COMMENT: (21) As if to confirm that the surge in the ecstasy market is not just an American phenomenon, Canadian Mounties busted a huge lab in a Toronto suburb. (21) CN ON: POLICE BUST MASSIVE ECSTASY LAB Neighbouring homes evacuated for safety Two men have been arrested after police busted what is being called the largest drug laboratory in Canadian history, seizing millions of dollars worth of chemicals used to produce ecstasy from a Markham house "From floor to ceiling, from the basement right up to the top floor, a clandestine ecstasy laboratory," said RCMP Constable Michele Paradis. [snip] Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2000 The Toronto Star Contact: lettertoed@thestar.com Website: http://www.thestar.com/ Forum: http://www.thestar.com/editorial/disc_board/ Authors: Juanita Losch, Alison Blackduck and Peter Small, Staff Reporters URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n946/a01.html === COMMENT: (22) A New Zealand newspaper contributed a rare partial glimpse of the function of the top rung of heroin distribution- along with another unflattering vignette of DEA incompetence. Or were they paid off too, like everyone else? (22) NEW ZEALAND: CHASING THE DRAGON IN DRUG UNDERWORLD It started with the biggest heroin bust in United States history - and ended nine years later at the doorstep of a short, balding Auckland businessman. The case against Hing Hung Wong has all the elements of a classic crime novel, with huge drug shipments, bugged phone calls, secret witnesses and millions of dollars in laundered cash. But even a crime novelist would have been proud to invent the name Mad Six, the nom-de-plume of the drug lord said to have drawn Wong into his inner circle. Yesterday the US failed in its five-month bid to have Wong extradited on charges of supplying and possessing heroin, which the 37-year-old denied. Now Hong Kong authorities want him extradited there. [snip] Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 Source: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand) Copyright: 2000 New Zealand Herald Contact: letters@herald.co.nz Website: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ Forum: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/forums/ URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n946/a10.html ************************************************************************ HOT OFF THE 'NET ------------- LA Times Calls McCzar Hollywood Scam "Hair brained" Too late for this weeks issue but simply priceless is this LA Times article wherein McCzar's latest scheme to control the thoughts and actions of the American public by coercing Hollywood to parrot ONDCP propaganda is quite accurately referred to as "hair brained" Coming to a Theater . . . Los Angeles Times Editorial Wednesday, July 12, 2000 http://www.latimes.com/news/comment/20000712/t000065473.html Submitted by Chad Thevenot. === ONDCP Spends a Billion DrugSense Gets the RESULTS "Since its launch in March of 1999, Freevibe.com has received 1,847,313 pageviews. Average Number of Page Views Per Day - 10,669." McCzar's statement to the house committee: http://www.house.gov/reform/cj/hearings/00.07.11/welcome.htm Freevibe (the ONDCP's kiddie propaganda page) Let's do a little comparison. Average number of files served per day from 2 MAP supported sites. Hits Per Day 11,545 DrugSense 69,117 MAPinc 81,117 TOTAL We just miss being 8 TIMES more popular than the billion dollar ONDCP site. Submitted by Richard Lake, edited by Mark Greer === McCzar/Forbes Testify before Congressional Subcommittee The written statements of witnesses at the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Committee on Government Reform hearing on "Evaluating The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign" held Tuesday, July 11th are on line at: http://www.house.gov/reform/cj/hearings/00.07.11/welcome.htm === Peter McWilliams Political Cartoon Pans Judge King Here's a political cartoon about Peter McWilliams: http://www.webleyweb.com/tle/libe79-20000703-03.html Submitted by Ty (Involuntary) ************************************************************************ QUOTE OF THE WEEK ------------ "..it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.." - Samuel Adams *********************************************************************** DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what DrugSense can do for you. TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: Please utilize the following URLs http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm News/COMMENTS-Editor: Tom O'Connell (tjeffoc@drugsense.org) Senior-Editor: Mark Greer (mgreer@drugsense.org) We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, NewsHawks and letter writing activists. NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. REMINDER: Please help us help reform. Become a NewsHawk See for info on contributing clippings. === DONATE TO DRUGSENSE ONLINE. IT'S TAX DEDUCTIBLE http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm -OR- Mail in your contribution. Make checks payable to MAP Inc. send your contribution to: The Media Awareness Project (MAP) Inc. d/b/a DrugSense PO Box 651 Porterville, CA 93258 (800) 266 5759 MGreer@mapinc.org http://www.mapinc.org/ http://www.drugsense.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 14:12:34 -0700 From: theherbalist@newmarijuana.org To: pdxnorml@teleport.com, petr.dousa@multimedia.cz, petros_evdokas@yahoo.com, powderm52@hotmail.com, psg@tdl.com, rappa@casema.net, rastapeace@yahoo.com, reeper_10@yahoo.com, remove@simplebiz.com, restore@crrh.org, revmeo@xenopharmacophilia.com Subject: Mother Earth is in Danger Message-ID: Hello all Cannabis Supporters: This email is for an action we must all take today to save our planet for tomorrow. The articles at the end of the message will explain in detail why we must stop the spread of Biological Drug Warfare Weapons to kill Cannabis, Coca, and STOP the Fungus they want to release in Colombia that will destroy any Cannabis and Opium plant and god only knows what else! STOP the interference with Mother Nature! What they are trying to do is irreversible, that means we let out a dangerous species into our nature. Ever seen Jurassic Park, at least you could see them coming! I'm scared mom. Write your Congressman and Senate Representative right Fuckin NOW! (excuse the french) Find yours at www.50states.com! We only have ONE Earth and we must protect her today! Help to push for moral and humane Drug Reform. Stop the war on Mother Earth and her Children! When will these tears stop! These articles are more than I hoped for to why I believe we must act now, right now!!! or forever loose our natural mother earth that we know today: Please print these articles and show every person you know. --MOTHER JONES MAGAZINE-- July 6, 2000 Drug control or biowarfare? by Sharon Stevenson and Jeremy Bigwood -- The Irish Times-- Saturday, July 8, 2000 US Gets Colombia To Test Biological Drugs Warfare By Ana Carrigan --My Letter to my Senate Representative, Congressman, and the World-- Wednesday, July 12th, 2000 Withhold releasing more of the deadly micro-fungus, Please by Jason Isaac Brodsky, the herbalist NEWMARIJUANA.COM UPDATE: New events include: the GrassRoots campout in Tahoe, the SF Aids Walk, The 133rd anniversary of the US's **greatest strike of 1877 in Berkeley this weekend in CA, the 30-hour smokeout in PA, BurningMan in NV, Firedance2000 in CA, and so much more ... Please be over 18 if your gonna toke a big 'ole phatty daddy! :-) Last Updated 7/11/2k"); MOTHER JONES MAGAZINE July 6, 2000 Drug control or biowarfare? by Sharon Stevenson and Jeremy Bigwood The big American suddenly stood up, leaned over the table and said to the Colombian in a low voice, "You'd better be careful not to talk to the press!" Dr. David C. Sands, scientist and entrepreneur, was meeting with advisors to the Colombian Ministry of the Environment last March to push a new drug-war weapon marketed by his company: a special toxic fungus which would kill coca plants. The Colombian scientist who raised Sands' hackles had pointed out that the fungus could also attack humans with weakened immune systems -- a condition common among the often undernourished and generally unhealthy poor coca farmers and workers in the tropical rain forests of Colombia, where Sands wants to carry out a massive spraying program. "He didn't care," said the Colombian, who asked not to be named. Sands is not the only party pushing this new biological weapon. The US Congress is demanding that Colombia apply the controversial fungus in order to receive $1.6 billion in emergency bailout funds for Colombia's antidrug/counterinsurgency strategy called Plan Colombia. Last March, Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-NY, tacked on an amendment to the pending aid bill requiring President Clinton to certify that the Colombian government "has agreed to and is implementing a strategy to eliminate Colombia's total coca and opium poppy production" using, among other means "tested, environmentally safe mycoherbicides." Myco =3D fungus; herbicide = =3D plant killer. Steve Peterson, an official with the State Department's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement division, says they want to see mycoherbicides used because they would be "more cost effective and more environmentally friendly" than chemical herbicides. The trouble is that abundant evidence indicates that the only mycoherbicide being considered for this purpose, Fusarium oxysporum, may in fact, in massive application, pose serious dangers to the environment and human health. =46lorida has put an indefinite hold on its plans to test the fungus for its own antidrug efforts after environmentalists and a state official warned that it could mutate, spread rapidly, and kill off other plants including food crops. And for over a decade, coca growers in Peru have accused the US of secretly applying the fungus there to attack coca plants -- in the process also harming food crops and farm animals. Moreover, the fungus can, under certain circumstances, cause lethal infections in humans with weakened immune systems. None of this, however, has dimmed US government enthusiasm for the project -- nor that of Sands' corporation, which stands to profit if the fungus is adopted for widespread use. Years of US-funded aerial spraying have so far failed to even slow Colombia's thriving industries of coca plants, which produce the raw material for cocaine, and opium poppies, which are used to make heroin. The country's cocaine and heroin production has more than doubled since 1995. The New York Times reported in early May that US-funded spraying of the herbicide glyphosate (marketed as Roundup by Monsanto Company) may have exposed scores of Colombian villagers to harmful toxins and damaged nondrug crops. But the proposed Fusarium program, experts say, could unleash far worse consequences. The UN Cover The Congressional hardball mandating fungus use follows a less coercive approach to push Colombia into playing guinea pig for the first real on-the-ground testing of the toxic Fusarium oxysporum strain called EN-4. The first approach was through a United Nations Drug Control Program-proposed project to establish a research station to conduct field trials for eventual large-scale application of the fungus. Although the UN representative in Colombia, Klaus Nyholm, said the draft agreement is "not what the Colombians want," it certainly reflects what the US State Department wants and has sold to Congress. The proposed agreement turns over results of at least 12 years of research by the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to refine the use of fungi against narcotic "weeds." The agreement openly takes political cover under the UN umbrella. A May 1999 Action Request by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright pushes the UNDCP to get other countries to ante up "in order to avoid a perception that this is solely a (US government) initiative." Which, of course, it is. "It was an American interest," said Nyholm. "It wasn't my idea." While the concept of using herbicides against weeds and camouflaging foliage (such as Agent Orange in Vietnam) is not novel, using them against crops is. Ironically, the great majority of research on Fusarium focuses on combating it as a major food-crop killer. The soil-borne mold infects crops by secreting toxins into their roots, which then putrefy and dissolve the plant's cells, often eventually killing them, or worse, poisoning humans or animals who feed on contaminated plants or plant products. The fungus can survive in soil for years. The idea of using a fungal herbicide to kill drug plants began in the 1970s after a fungus, later identified as EN-4, began to kill off the coca at a soft drink research plantation in Kauai, Hawaii. In 1986, the ARS began a full-blown research project, classified for a time, to find a biological agent to kill coca. By 1991, the government had invested at least $14 million in it. Congress has now given the State Department $23 million originally slated for mycoherbicide development in the US, which State plans to pass on to the UN. By getting the UN to take on the fungus project, the US not only gets political cover, but makes it harder to get information about the program. Unlike the US government, the UN has no Freedom of Information Act guaranteeing outsiders access to official documents. The US Congress' arm-twisting to make Colombia use the fungus even before it has been tested for environmental and human safety raises the fundamental issue of informed consent by the Colombian people. The program could easily be construed as having a nonpeaceful purpose, thus contravening the international Biological Weapons Convention and morphing it from "biocontrol" into "biowarfare." While both the US and UN stridently object to the latter term, the secrecy surrounding the project -- the lack of independent monitoring of the US fungus development, the lack of media exposure to the project, and the classified nature of the development program in its early years -- leave serious questions unanswered. Colombia targeted When we visited Colombia in late March to research this article, the UN proposal had already landed in the Ministry of Environment, which must approve its use. At a meeting with ranking officials, however, it became clear that the Ministry had precious little to go on in making their decision. The vice minister of the environment and her aides gathered around the conference table were asking us, the journalists, to supply them with information. Neither the US government nor the UN agency pushing the plan had given the Ministry the detailed available documentation on the genesis and development of Fusarium oxysporum that they would need to help decide if it was safe to apply. Ministry staffers were reduced to trying to cull information from the Internet. What they had found there was evidence that =46usarium oxysporum could mutate to gobble other plants and could be dangerous to animal and human health. Ministry advisers also told us that Peruvian organizations had not responded to queries on the fungus epidemic that had affected coca fields there. Since 1991, Peruvian coca growers have charged that they have seen helicopters fly over their coca fields emitting a brown or white cloud which caused their coca and food crops to die and sickened their farm animals. Many of the farmers believe these helicopters are part of an American antidrug campaign, a charge the US denies. Research in 1993 by a US-funded Peruvian scientist showed that many of the food crops were infected by the same fungus species that had killed the coca. There are many troubling aspects to the UN proposal. It maintains that EN-4 already exists in Colombia, which is convenient since introducing a foreign pathogen to the country would present a problem under international law; UN representative Nyholm, however, says there is no EN-4 in Colombia. The proposal admits that fungus development, large-scale production, storage, and application techniques for Fusarium already exist; now, it says, all that's needed are "large-scale" field trials to compare different formulations and application rates, and assess the environmental impact. Yet it doesn't specify how they would measure the safety of these trials. Nowhere in the draft is any noninvolved stakeholder monitor established to oversee research and development in Colombia. And while the vice minister says they have yet to approve the fungus, the draft proposal and State Department "Action Request" both make clear that someone in the Colombian government has already demonstrated a willingness to forge ahead, with or without the Environment Ministry's approval. This is no small matter in Colombia, home to the world's second most diverse biosystem -- one that is uniquely vulnerable to the potential threat posed by the massive spraying of a toxic, mutative fungus in vast swaths of jungle. Will it really attack only coca? Department of Agriculture research documents on the fungus explicitly avow that it is environmentally safe and would attack only coca. But Colombian researchers and scientists are far from convinced - especially given =46usarium's notorious tendency to mutate. Colombia is no stranger to Fusarium, a genus that includes several strains besides EN-4. "There's a group of scientists who've been working [to combat] Fusarium here for a long time," said Vice Minister Martinez. In fact a major epidemic of one Fusarium strain hit the flower growers in the plains of Bogota a few years ago, and as a result, growers could no longer plant in the contaminated earth -- they were forced to switch to soilless hydroponics systems. US scientists also maintain that the EN-4 strain will only attack plants within the genus Erythroxylum, of which coca is one. But there are over 200 other plant species within that genus, many of which are found in Colombia, which EN-4 could then kill besides its intended target. Plants of the Erythroxylum genus are also used by indigenous populations for medicinal and religious-cultural practices would also be at risk. Moreover, a 1995 International Institute of Biological Control report on the ARS fungus program admitted that non-Erythroxylum North American plants under stress could be infected by EN-4. Surprisingly, this seems to be the only research testing EN-4's ability to attack other plants. Luis Parra, an herbicide expert recommended to us by the American Embassy who oversees the glyphosate spraying of coca and opium in Colombia, says he has "a lot of doubts" about Fusarium. "I don't believe in the specificity of these organisms," he said. "It is very different to apply an herbicide (such as glyphosate) that has a known and predictable and undeniable risk, than to apply a microbe (such as a mycoherbicide) where the risks are still unknown." Risks extend to human health While the US continues to murmur its "environmentally safe" mantra, Eduardo Posada, head of the Colombian Center for International Physics, believes that Fusarium can be devastating to people with lowered resistance due to immunological diseases or malnutrition -- common conditions among the farmers who often live near the coca fields that would be sprayed with the fungus. "The mortality rate for people infected by Fusarium is 76 percent," wrote Posada in a letter to the minister of environment. He lists the scientific literature indicating that Fusarium toxins are "highly toxic" to animals and humans, and that the use of ants to spread the fungus (research actually done by ARS scientists), could cause the ecosystem to be affected much faster than imagined. None of that, however, appears to trouble David Sands. Pecuniary interests? Presenting Dr. Sands Vice Minister Claudia Martinez was ordered by the Colombian ambassador in Washington to receive Dr. David C. Sands, a professor at Montana State University in Bozeman and the vice president of Ag/Bio Con (agricultural biological control), a company that markets the fungus. He is listed as a major researcher of the fungus in the UN proposal, and it was he who first isolated EN-4 for ARS in Hawaii. Yet now he seems to be more appropriately classified as a free-lance businessman, hawking his company's version of a fully developed fungus field-ready for "precision delivery from high altitude" application by large C-130 cargo planes -- as a picture in his literature shows. Sands has no shortage of influential contacts. Ag/Bio Con has retained a prominent DC consulting firm to lobby on bills related to mycoherbicide development. The company's officials include a retired Air Force General with a background in research; Sands has received a Navy research award and has traveled with ranking US government personnel to a similar fungus project in Kazakhstan and Russia. Through his Congressional connections, he arranged a face-to-face meeting with President Andres Pastrana in Washington last January. Sands did not return repeated phone calls for comment on this article. Sands received nationwide attention for Ag/Bio Con in spring and summer of last year, when he -- along with Colonel Jim McDonough, a former top aide to US drug czar General McCaffrey who had taken a new job as Florida's top drug official -- tried a similar sales job to use another strain of =46usarium to control Florida's burgeoning marijuana industry. David Struhs, the head of Florida's Department of Environmental Protection, reacted with a strongly cautionary letter saying: "Fusarium species are capable of evolving rapidly ... Mutagenicity is by far the most disturbing factor in attempting to use a Fusarium species as a bioherbicide. It is difficult, if not impossible, to control the spread of Fusarium species. The mutated fungi can cause disease in a large number of crops, including tomatoes, peppers, flowers, corn and vines, and are normally considered a threat to farmers as a pest, rather than as a pesticide. =46usarium species are more active in warm soils and can stay resident in the soil for years. Their longevity and enhanced activity under Florida conditions are of concern, as this could lead to an increased risk of mutagenicity." Having been rebuffed by the state of Florida -- failing even to convince the state authorities to initiate a simple experiment in a quarantined test site -- Sands apparently set his sights on Colombia. Two scientists who attended Sands' Colombia presentation said he first presented himself only as a scientist, not mentioning Ag/Bio Con. When asked about aerial application, they said he got flustered seeing they already had his sales literature. His goal seemed to be to find four hectares anywhere to use for a field trial. The US full-court press That goal may be within reach. With the State Department pushing the UN and the US Congress threatening fund cutoffs, the pressure is on and the stakes high. Two biologists who made a case on Colombian TV against the UN proposal say colleagues have told them to cool the rhetoric. One, who asked that his name not be used, says he received telephone threats after his statements and is now watching his mouth. "Various times I've answered the phone and they've said ... they know where they can find me, where I teach, at what times I go out and I think that the country has enough heroes," he told us. In response to the pressures, the Ministry of Environment has come up with a preliminary counterproposal, calling for back-to-basic research on "native micro-organisms with biocontrol potential" in the coca zones. The proposal does not rule out the unpredictable and dangerous Fusarium, as some scientists have demanded. But it does call for a long, meticulous study emphasizing safety over the expediency urged by the State Department and members of Congress. After all, why should the people of Colombia expose themselves to a risk the people of Florida refused to run? "If we're going to ask, for example, the Colombians to do something," said Andy Bernard, spokesman for the =46lorida Office of Drug Control, "we ought to have the guts to do it here as well." Copyright 2000 Mother Jones The Irish Times Saturday, July 8, 2000 US Gets Colombia To Test Biological Drugs Warfare By Ana Carrigan THE US/COLUMBIA: The government of Colombia has agreed, under US pressure, to test a disease-causing fungus against Colombian coca plantations, according to the New York Times. This would add biological warfare to the arsenal of President Andr=E9s Pastrana's controversial peace and counter-narcotics campaign, the US-backed "Plan Colombia". This plan, which proposes a big military element in the war against Colombian drug cultivation, was under discussion by EU and other industrialised nations yesterday in Madrid =2E Many European countries are concerned about this military emphasis, and the news that an environmentally questionable element is also involved will add to their concerns. The US State Department confirmed on Thursday that the Colombian government had agreed to test the plant-eating fungus known as fusarium oxysporum. It was recently rejected as being too dangerous to use against marijuana plantations in the US. >From Madrid, the Colombian Environmental Minister, Mr Juan Mayr, denied that Colombia had agreed to test the fungus. In a letter to the New York Times, Mr Mayr claimed he had been misunderstood by a journalist. However, critics charge that the US has made its $1.3 billion military aid contribution to Plan Colombia conditional on agreement to the tests. Opponents of the US aid package have noted that, in the final version of the legislation, the US Congress eliminated earlier Senate restrictions on the use of pesticides. Last March, Congressman Ben Gilman, one of the leading promoters of Plan Colombia in the US Congress, tacked an amendment onto the aid bill that required the Colombian government to agree to implement a strategy to eliminate total coca and poppy production within five years using, "tested, environmentally safe" fungal plant killers, namely fusarium oxysporum. The bill, signed last week by President Clinton, seeks to commit the Colombians to proceed with a two-year research programme that will introduce the fungus into the fragile ecosystem of the Colombian Amazon. Environmentalists and botanists are up in arms. They say the plant-killing fungus, which remains in the soil for many years, could mutate to attack other plants in one of the most biodiverse regions of the globe. The fungus could not only prove environmentally fatal, but may also be damaging to the health of people with weakened immune systems, such as is common among poor, badly nourished Colombian coca farmers. Copyright 2000 The Irish Times Dear : Senate Representative, Congressman, The World! Subject: Withhold releasing more of the deadly micro-fungus, Please It has come to my understanding that the United Nations and United States have forced their policies onto the Independent Nation of Colombian. Much of this to suppress the Cocaine, Opium, and Cannabis trade. As a citizen of our great democratic nation I am not asking to make haste and legalize all substances tonight, I am asking to hold back on the unleashing of a deadly micro-fungus that will cause irreversible and unpredictable damage to the natural ecosystems across the world. Besides the fact that this genetically engineered organism is classified as a biological weapon and banned from use, this act is immoral, uneducated, and ungodly. Please help to stop this before it is too late. One hundred years ago, we as a civilization did not overreact so and decide to destroy nature at our whims if we found something unpleasing by the ruling class. When were borne onto this planet innocent, and so are the fellow plants and herbes. There has been a giant surge in the natural medicine field in these years late and this act of destroying what god has given us can only lead to more painful mistakes down the road. I urge you please, no I beg you please help represent nature and her children by standing up and stopping unnatural disasters before we find out it's too late. When man first invented the Atomic Bomb he knew the knowledge that he possessed could be used to clean the earth of all life. But didn't. Now man has invented biological weapons that can do the work even after the job is done. Nature does not have a safety switch in-case of emergencies. What we do today, the decisions we make at this very moment are going to choose the path that our children's children are left to take. Should we give them the earth as our mother intended it to be, natural and pure, or should we sterilize it and bleach away all that we have been given voiding the earth's beauty. We only have one planet, we only have the right choices to make, we only have to protect mankind's future, what Mother Nature, God, and our mothers and fathers have worked millennia to pass on unharmed to our kin Sincerely from my heart, Jason Isaac Brodsky son of Mark Alan Brodsky, Monna Lee Huff, & Mother Nature www.NewMaijuana.org "What's Your Dedication to Freedom?" hosted by... =2E:::The Herbalist:::. request some free stickers when you visit. -- "What's your Dedication to Freedom?" ()()()()()()()()()()()()() () Jason the Herbalist@ () () www.NewMarijuana.org () () Your World-Wide () () Cannabis Event Source() ()()()()()()()()()()()()() Would You Like Some Free Stickers Too? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 23:46:11 -0400 From: "Kenny C." To: "CRRH mailing list" Subject: Re: your letter to Bill Message-ID: <000f01bfee0f$385b7060$36311840@default> The reason alcohol and tobacco are legal is becausea country based on free religion based most of its laws from the Catholic Bible. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 09:33:04 EDT From: Echosduchanvre@aol.com To: Pascalelagouge@aol.com Subject: Cannabis therapeutique Message-ID: <67.6d88d12.26a1c210@aol.com> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= -- IACM-Bulletin en fran=E7ais du 14 juillet 2000 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= -- La traduction de la version fran=E7aise est r=E9alis=E9e par les =E9diteurs=20= du=20 journal fran=E7ais "Les =E9chos du Chanvre" (contact : echosduchanvre@aol.co= m).=20 Si vous d=E9sirez utiliser les articles, veuillez cr=E9diter "IACM-Bulletin=20= en=20 Fran=E7ais" et mentionner l'abonnement gratuit =E0 la mailing-list. ** La version espagnole de IACM-Bulletin est maintenant disponible **=20 * Allemagne : Le comit=E9 des p=E9titions du Bundestag soutient l'utilisatio= n=20 m=E9dicale du cannabis * Sciences : Nouvelles de la conf=E9rence de l'ICRS * Sciences : Les cannabino=EFdes dans les r=E9gions douloureuses de la moell= e=20 =E9pini=E8re. 1.Allemagne : Le comit=E9 des p=E9titions du Bundestag soutient l'utilisatio= n=20 m=E9dicale du cannabis. Le 28 juin dernier, le comit=E9 des p=E9titions du Bundestag (le Parlement=20 Allemand), compos=E9 de 29 membres du Parlement, a exprim=E9 son soutien=20= =E0 la=20 p=E9tition du Groupe d'Auto-Support pour le Cannabis M=E9dical, bas=E9 =E0 B= erlin, et=20 de l'ACM pour autoriser l'utilisation de produits d=E9riv=E9s du cannabis na= turel=20 et des cannabino=EFdes simples. C'est la premi=E8re fois qu'une institution du Bundestag recommande=20 l'utilisation du cannabis =E0 des fins m=E9dicales chez des personnes malade= s. La p=E9tition, soutenue par les membres du comit=E9 du parti Socialiste, les= =20 Verts et les Sociaux-D=E9mocrates, va =EAtre pr=E9sent=E9e au gouvernement p= our=20 "prise en consid=E9ration", dans la mesure o=F9 la demande =E9tait justifi= =E9e et=20 n=E9cessairement rectificative. Les Chr=E9tiens D=E9mocrates se sont oppos= =E9s =E0 la=20 p=E9tition. Les Lib=E9raux sont rest=E9s neutres. Le comit=E9 est arriv=E9=20= =E0 la=20 conclusion que le cannabis vient en aide =E0 beaucoup de patients, pour "gu= =E9rir=20 ou rendre plus supportable leur maladie et vivre une vie qui =E0 nouveau vau= t=20 la peine d'=EAtre v=E9cue". Si le gouvernement ne prend pas en consid=E9ration la p=E9tition, il devra=20 s'expliquer sur son choix devant le comit=E9. Le 10 avril 2000, une soci=E9t=E9 allemande a obtenu l'autorisation de mettr= e =E0=20 la disposition des pharmacies du THC (dronabibol) afin que les m=E9dicaments= =20 correspondants puissent =EAtre fabriqu=E9s sur place. Jusqu'=E0 maintenant u= ne=20 seule pharmacie de Francfort =E9tait approvisionn=E9e. Les autres pharmacies= =20 devaient se contenter de d=E9livrer, =E0 un co=FBt =E9lev=E9, une pr=E9parat= ion =E0 base de=20 THC import=E9e des Etats-Unis, le Marinol. (Sources : Communiqu=E9 de presse des Verts allemands le 28 juin 2000,=20 communiqu=E9 de presse du PDS du 28 juin 2000, Berliner Zeitung du 29 juin 2= 000) 2.Sciences : Nouvelles de la conf=E9rence de l'ICRS Un certain nombre de r=E9sultats int=E9ressants, issus de r=E9centes =E9tude= s, ont=20 =E9t=E9 pr=E9sent=E9s lors de la conf=E9rence annuelle de l'International Ca= nnabinoid=20 Research Society (ICRS), du 22 au 24 juin aux Etats-Unis. Certains de ces=20 r=E9sultats sont pr=E9sent=E9s ci-dessous et para=EEtront dans la prochaine=20= =E9dition=20 du ACM-Bulletin le 23 juillet. (1) Un groupe de chercheurs Isra=E9liens a d=E9couvert que le syst=E8me des=20 cannabino=EFdes endog=E8nes joue un r=F4le capital dans le d=E9veloppement d= es b=E9b=E9s=20 souris. Les cannabino=EFdes endog=E8nes seraient responsables du r=E9flexe d= e=20 succion chez les nouveaux n=E9s et par l=E0 m=EAme joueraient un r=F4le prim= ordial=20 pour leur croissance et leur bien-=EAtre physique. Si les chercheurs emp=EAc= hent=20 le syst=E8me des cannabino=EFdes endog=E8nes de fonctionner =E0 l'aide d'un=20 antagoniste des r=E9cepteurs aux cannabino=EFdes (SR 141716A), les b=E9b=E9s= souris=20 ne prennent pas de poids et meurent 6 =E0 7 jours apr=E8s la naissance. Une=20 administration unique de SR141716A au cours du premier jour de vie suffit=20= =E0=20 stopper compl=E8tement la croissance. L'effet stimulateur d'app=E9tit des=20 cannabino=EFdes est connu et ceci pourrait se prouver chez les nouveaux n= =E9s. (Source : R=E9sum=E9 de Ester Fride, et al) (2) Chez les patients atteints du sida et sous inhibiteurs de la prot=E9ase=20 (IP) le fait de fumer de la marijuana semble cliniquement inoffensif et bien= =20 tol=E9r=E9, selon une =E9tude de tol=E9rance r=E9alis=E9e par l'Universit= =E9 de Californie=20 de San Francisco. 67 patients ont soit fum=E9 de la marijuana, soit re=E7u d= u=20 dronabinol ou un placebo durant 21 jours. De nombreux param=E8tres, dont les= =20 fonctions immunitaires et la pharmacocin=E9tique des IP, ont =E9t=E9 contr= =F4l=E9s. Des=20 =E9v=E9nements ind=E9sirables d'=E9chelle II et III ont =E9t=E9 observ=E9s,=20= dont la moiti=E9=20 de chaque au sein du groupe marijuana. Les param=E8tres biologiques seront=20 analys=E9s lorsque tous les patients auront termin=E9 l'=E9tude. (Source : R= =E9sum=E9=20 de Donald Abrams, et al). (3) Les effets analg=E9siques de l'acide ajul=E9mique (CT3) sont invers=E9s=20= par=20 l'antagoniste SR141716A du r=E9cepteur aux cannabino=EFdes (CB1) (en non par= =20 l'antagoniste du r=E9cepteur au CB2). L'acide ajul=E9mique est un d=E9riv= =E9 d'un=20 m=E9tabolite non psychotrope du THC. Selon le groupe de recherche de=20 l'Universit=E9 Brown aux Etats-Unis, l'une des explications possibles de ces= =20 observations serait l'existence d'un nouveau r=E9cepteur aux cannabino=EFdes= dont=20 l'acide ajul=E9mique serait un agoniste et le SR141716A un antagoniste. (Sou= rce=20 : R=E9sum=E9 de Michael Walker, et al) (4) Trois diff=E9rents extraits sublinguaux de cannabis, un contenant=20 principalement du THC, un autre principalement du cannabidiol (CBD), et le=20 dernier un rapport THC-CBD d'approximativement 1:1, ont =E9t=E9 administr= =E9s =E0 six=20 volontaires sains. Ils ont re=E7u jusqu'=E0 20 mg de THC. L'=E9valuation de=20= la=20 fonction cognitive a montr=E9 une l=E9g=E8re diminution, li=E9e au THC, de l= a=20 capacit=E9 de m=E9moire spatiale. L'=E9tude britannique a montr=E9 que=20 l'administration sublinguale d'extrait de cannabis avait des effets=20 relativement rapides et =E9tait bien tol=E9r=E9e. (Source : R=E9sum=E9 de Ge= offrey W=20 Guy, et al) (Source : R=E9sum=E9s de la conf=E9rence 2000 de l'ICRS) 3.Sciences : Les cannabino=EFdes dans les r=E9gions douloureuses de la moell= e=20 =E9pini=E8re. Une =E9quipe de chercheurs anglais a d=E9couvert dans des zones de la moelle= =20 =E9pini=E8re de rats des r=E9cepteurs au CB1 qui pourraient att=E9nuer la do= uleur.=20 Cette d=E9couverte, publi=E9e dans le journal Molecular and Cellular Neurosc= ience=20 ouvre la voie aux m=E9dicaments =E0 base de cannabino=EFdes, dont le but ser= ait de=20 combattre la douleur. Le Dr Andrew Rice, membre de l'=E9quipe bas=E9e =E0 l'Imperial College de Lo= ndres,=20 =E0 d=E9clar=E9 : "Nous avons franchi une grande =E9tape en terme de s=E9par= ation des=20 effets secondaires psychotropes du cannabis et de ses effets s=E9datifs." De= s=20 m=E9dicaments =E0 base de cannabino=EFdes pourraient =EAtre mis au point pou= r se=20 fixer aux r=E9cepteurs aux cannabino=EFdes de la moelle =E9pini=E8re ou =EAt= re=20 directement administr=E9s dans la moelle =E9pini=E8re. La pr=E9sence de r= =E9cepteurs=20 aux opio=EFdes dans la moelle =E9pini=E8re avait d=E9j=E0 =E9t=E9 mise en=20= =E9vidence dans les=20 ann=E9es 70, ce qui avait men=E9 =E0 la mise au point d'analg=E9siques par v= oie=20 p=E9ridurale. Ces r=E9sultats montrent que les cannabino=EFdes pourraient =EAtre =E0 m=EAm= e de=20 soulager un certain type de douleur l=E0 o=F9 d'autres traitements =E9chouen= t. Il=20 existe deux types de douleur : l'inflammation, et la n=E9vropathie douloureu= se.=20 Tr=E8s peu de m=E9dicaments soulagent cette derni=E8re. "Lorsqu'un nerf est=20 endommag=E9, les r=E9cepteurs aux opio=EFdes de la moelle =E9pini=E8re dispa= raissent.=20 C'est la raison pour laquelle la morphine a peu d'effets dans cette situatio= n=20 ", a d=E9clar=E9 le Dr Rice. (Sources : Reuters du 4 juillet 2000 ; PA News du 4 juillet 2000 ;=20 Farquhar-Smith WP, Egertov=E1 M, Bradbury EJ, McMahon SB, Rice ASC, Elphick=20= MR=20 : Cannabinoid CB1 receptor expression in rat spinal cord. Mol Cell Neurosci=20 2000 ; 15:510-521)=20 4.En bref ***Etats-Unis : La commission f=E9d=E9rale m=E9dicale de Washington a ajout=E9 les maladies=20 pr=E9sentant de graves sympt=F4mes gastro-intestinaux, les crises ou spasmes= =20 musculaires =E0 la liste des "maladies graves et invalidantes" pour lesquell= es=20 la marijuana pourrait =EAtre utilis=E9e l=E9galement dans le cadre d'une loi= =20 f=E9d=E9rale vot=E9e en 1998. La Commission d'Assurance Qualit=E9 M=E9dicale= a ajout=E9 =E0=20 cette liste des maladies dont les sympt=F4mes comprennent les naus=E9es, les= =20 vomissements, les pertes de poids importantes, les crampes d'estomac ou la=20 perte d'app=E9tit, que des traitements standards ne parviennent pas =E0 soul= ager.=20 La commission a refus=E9 d'inclure l'insomnie et le stress post-traumatique.= =20 (Source : Seattle Times du 27 juin 2000) ***Pays-Bas : Le 27 juin dernier, le Parlement N=E9erlandais a adopt=E9 une motion visant=20= =E0=20 tol=E9rer la culture du cannabis et =E0 r=E9guler sa r=E9colte. Les l=E9gisl= ateurs de=20 deux des trois partis de la coalition gouvernementale ont valid=E9 la motion= ,=20 qui a pass=E9 la chambre compos=E9e de 150 si=E8ges par un vote de 73 voix c= ontre=20 72. Cependant, la majorit=E9 =E9tant si faible, le porte-parole du Minist= =E8re de=20 la Justice, Victor Holtus, a d=E9clar=E9 qu'il y avait peu de chances que le= =20 cabinet approuve la r=E9solution. "Elle contredit de fa=E7on importante les=20 accords internationaux", a t-il d=E9clar=E9. (Source : AP du 28 juin 2000) 5.Coup d'oeil sur le passe IL Y A UN AN : - Etats-Unis : Le gouvernement all=E8ge les restrictions pesant sur les g= =E9lules=20 de Marinol/THC. - Allemagne : Projet de classification du cannabis comme m=E9dicament non=20 autoris=E9 IL Y A DEUX ANS : - Etats-Unis : D=E9but d'une =E9tude sur la marijuana chez des patients atte= ints=20 du sida - Sciences : Etude en cours sur les cannabino=EFdes dans la pr=E9vention des= =20 atteintes c=E9r=E9brales. (Pour plus d'informations, les archives ACM-Bulletin : http://www.acmed.org)= =20 Association Internationale pour le Cannabis M=E9dical (IACM) Arnimstrasse 1a 50825 Cologne Allemagne Tel : 221-9543 9229 Fax: 221-130 05 91 Email: info@acmed.org Site Internet de l'ACM : http://www.acmed.org Si vous souhaitez =EAtre supprim=E9 ou ajout=E9 =E0 la mailing-list de IACM-= Bulletin,=20 veuillez envoyer un message =E0 : info@acmed.org. Faites votre choix : Version allemande : IACM-Informationen Version anglaise : IACM-Bulletin Version fran=E7aise : IACM-Bulletin en Fran=E7ais Version n=E9erlandaise : IACM-Berichten Version italienne : Bollettino della IACM Version espagnole : IACM Boletin Merci au Dr. Ricardo Navarrete Varo et =E0 DDAA pour la traduction de=20 ACM-Bulletin en espagnol (contact : pedilafo@teleline.es,=20 derribos@geocities.com) La traduction de la version fran=E7aise est r=E9alis=E9e par les =E9diteurs=20= du=20 journal fran=E7ais "Les =E9chos du Chanvre" (contact : echosduchanvre@aol.co= m).=20 Si vous d=E9sirez utiliser les articles, veuillez cr=E9diter "IACM-Bulletin=20= en=20 Fran=E7ais" et mentionner l'abonnement gratuit =E0 la mailing-list. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 07:44:12 -0700 From: Arthur Livermore To: "Wayne A. Kenas" Cc: LawBerger@aol.com, dpfor@drugsense.org, amma-talk@drugsense.org, restore@crrh.org Subject: Re: article on US v. Gaines Message-ID: <200007151443.HAA10542@smtp.pacifier.com> Wayne, I don't have the name of the attorney who represented Gaines. I'm forwarding your email to some people who might know. Just this week, a friend of mine was a victim of drug testing. He was given 120 days in jail for positive THC drug test results. He has been on probation for an incident that involved his excessive use of alcohol. The way drug testing is being used by the criminal justice system is unconscionable. Arthur Livermore At 02:31 PM 7/13/2000 -0500, you wrote: >I recently came across your article on US v. Gaines. >I am an attorney who handles a lot of drug test cases in state and federal >court - representing the poor saps that get screwed by employer intrusions >into their personal lives. > >I would like to get hold of the attorney that represented Gaines in this >case... can you help me? > >I am also a member of NELA - National Association of Employment >Lawyers. We are an organization of plaintiffs attorneys. A chapter on >drug testing in one of our books is in the course of being updated - Any >information you could pass on to us about drug test cases would be >appreciated. Many of these cases never make it into legal publications >because they get settled at the trial court level. > >Thanks > >Wayne Kenas > > >Wayne A. Kenas > Attorney at Law > > Kenas Law Firm > 2100 Stevens Avenue South >Minneapolis, MN 55404 > > Voice: (612) 829-7383; Fax: 1(877) 591-4870 >E-mail: wayne@kenas.com #### Arthur Livermore, Director Falcon Cove Biology Laboratory 44500 Tide Avenue Arch Cape, OR 97102 503-436-1882 alive@pacifier.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 11:50:11 -0400 From: "Don Wirtshafter" To: "Arthur Livermore" , "Wayne A. Kenas" Cc: , , , Subject: Re: AMMA: Re: article on US v. Gaines Message-ID: <05d301bfee74$5dd63680$6d83efd1@donz> Wayne Kenas asked about the case where a military officer escaped a court marshal by saying his positive urine test resulted from the consumption of hemp seed oil.: >I would like to get hold of the attorney that represented Gaines in this >case... can you help me? Charles Gittins represented Spencer Gaines in the case. This is probably the same Charles Gittins that lawyers.com lists now at P.O. Box 144 Frederick Co., Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-0949 Capt. Todd Wallace represented Lance Cpl. Kevin Boyd in a follow-up case. Lt. Thomas Bosy, a pharmacologist and research coordinator at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. testified against Boyd. Speaking of hemp oil Bosy said, "I think they'll have to ban it," Boyd said. "Otherwise, a bunch of dope heads are going to use it as a defense." The truth is that it was only one, now discontinued, product that was shown to cause UA positives. That product had 1300 parts per million THC. All products on the market now have below 10 ppm THC (the Canadian standard) and most are below 1 ppm. So no modern hemp product can be used as an excuse for a flunked test. A couple of studies are in pre-publication that will confirm this. Not that I am not also upset about these tests and the way they are used. I am currently hot about the skin patch tests called Pharmcheck put out by Pharmchem. This test has been accepted by the federal government and is used by Pretrial Services and the probation departments. This test has not gone through the peer review needed to get it into court yet hundreds of people have been thrown in jail for using it. In fact, the scientist who testified in favor of the test was a Pharmchem employee who is accused of giving false testimony about his academic credentials. The Lindesmith Center has done some excellent briefing on the subject. If anyone else out there has bad stories on this Pharmcheck test, I would appreciate hearing about them. I am preparing a civil suit against the company for ruining a whole class of people's lives. Don Wirtshafter, Attorney at Law Ohio Hempery Inc. Products the Earth Can Afford Call or write for our free catalog: Order Line 1-800-BUY-HEMP 7002 S.R. 329, Guysville, OH 45735 shop on line: (740)662-4367 fax(740)662-6446 http://www.hempery.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 16:05:03 -0400 From: "Ann" To: "list Moms a" , "list crrh a" , "list AMMA a" Subject: Providence (RI) Journal - LTE Message-ID: <000d01bfee97$f6ed9160$9df50018@pwtkt1.ri.home.com> http://projo.com/report/stories/03972941.htm 07.15.2000 Don't tell me the drug war hasn't failed Regarding the June 13 letter by Richard D. Bonnette ("America's drug war hasn't failed") asserting that war on drugs has made great progress. Remarkable progress, indeed. In terms of crime, disruption of law and order, social and personal misery and waste of resources, the radical ideology of the "drug-free world" is causing society an immense amount of harm. While hundreds of thousands are incarcerated throughout the world, ruining the lives of millions of people, 8 percent of international trade now consists of illegal drugs, and entire nations are destabilized. Thanks to drug prohibition, which is a policy grounded in cultural fears rather than sincere concern for public well-being, the dividing line between the decent world and the illegal underworld cuts right across society. The world's most vulnerable populations are touched most intensely: youth culture, minorities. HARRY BEGO Utrecht, the Netherlands ************************************************* This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future! Hitler, Adolf ************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 23:36:32 -0400 (EDT) From: refer@drcnet.org To: bhill@igc.org, philip.sanchez@nsmg.veritas.com, janice@ihug.co.nz, kono2399@ou.edu, palmtree@sd.racsa.co.cr, bw@jak.se, dhunt@CENTE, 1.com@www2.drikka.net, MCAGiraffe@aol.com, dti-discuss@evironlink.org, mrkdwhit@wallet.com, fair@fair.org, rkmoore@iol.ie, restore@crrh.org, verhovek@nytimes.com, dx2bark@aol.com, iflyhg@aol.com, intrprtr@prodigy.net, cknox@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU, siwash@pioneer.net, esdge@undp.org, sativa@pacifichemp.com, lawofhogue@aol.com, oils@sirius.com, corrina@hempexpos.com, cannabis@tidepool.com, hempoet@rockisland.com, wildspirit@snowcrest.net, GoKubby@kubby.org, vignes@monaco.mc, warhorse@csus.edu, ntng2it5o@juno.com, tommy.mcdongld@usa.net, LARCE@sonoma-county.org, john_conroy@mindlink.bc.ca, Yogafy@aol.com, BudaBelly@aol.com, ombodhi@cheerful.com, sonia_theroux@hotmail.com, skaya@intouch.bc.ca, maryquin@mcs.comecy@sfu.ca, jgharris@NMSU.Edu, black@selkirk.bc.ca, bobl@home.com, boda@home.com, zeelia@hotmail.com, willys@direct.ca, gcull@ibm.net, bgraham@bgraham.com, stjohn@cats.vcse.edu, rob@mindlink.bc.ca, rkmoore@aol.ie, shewho@geocities..com, gear2000@lightspeed.net, alladin67@hotmail.com, earthworks1@ij.netmooses@rmci.net, gsage@hempnektie.com, hempishep@successnet.net, viv@hemp.net, hbego@mail.knoware.nl, tiffywiff@aol.com, rboje@hotmail.com Cc: Subject: Mary Gale Smith wants you to help end drug war injustice Message-ID: <200007160336.XAA05368@www2.drikka.net> VISIT: http://www.drcnet.org/justice/ 7/10/00 Dear friend for justice: I'm writing you today with some good news, some bad news and some urgent news. Last week, four drug war prisoners, including Amy Pofahl of "Shattered Lives" fame, were pardoned by President Clinton. That's the good news. Amy had served 9 years of a 24-year sentence, for crimes committed by her husband, not by her, but is now free. The bad news is that 400,000 nonviolent drug offenders continue to suffer behind bars in our nation's prisons and jails, many of them serving equally unjust sentences. We are asking you to do the following to help: First, please visit http://www.drcnet.org/justice/ to send an e-mail or fax to Congress calling for the repeal of mandatory minimum sentences and the pardon of federal nonviolent drug war prisoners. Second, please use the tell-a-friend form on http://www.drcnet.org/justice/ to spread the word, or forward this alert to your friends and favorite mailing lists directly. We are also asking you to advocate for another of the unjustly imprisoned. Kemba Smith is a young woman who took the fall for her former boyfriend, who operated a drug ring in and around Hampton University, who abused her and threatened to harm her parents if she didn't follow his orders. Kemba's case was featured in Emerge Magazine twice, under the title "Kemba's Nightmare," and to many in the African American community it is representative of the injustice of mandatory minimum sentences and harsh drug war policies. Visit http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/8899/ to learn more about Kemba's story, and please click on "What You Can Do" to sign her petition for a presidential pardon. Please also visit http://www.drcnet.org/freespeech/ to tell your Representative and your two Senators to oppose the meth bill and the provisions of it that violate freedom of speech. Last but not least, please call your Reps and Senators on the phone or visit them in person to discuss these issues. Doing so will increase your impact dramatically. Visit http://www.hr95.org to learn more about Amy Pofahl's case. Those of you who already own copies of "Shattered Lives: Portraits From America's Drug War" can see her picture on the front cover and her story on page ten. Visit http://www.famm.org, http://www.november.org and http://www.stopthedrugwar.org/prisoners/ for many more drug war victim cases. Please act today! Visit http://www.drcnet.org/justice/ and take a stand. Visit http://www.drcnet.org to check out DRCNet's latest newsletter and subscribe for free. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 23:52:26 -0700 From: Steve Kubby To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: SKA: Sac Bee: Judge expected to reverse medical marijuana ban Message-ID: ******************************************************** THE AMERICAN MEDICAL MARIJUANA ASSOCIATION 15 Monarch Bay Plaza, Box 375, Dana Point, Ca 92629 Web site: http://www.drugsense.org/amma/ E-mail: amma@drugsense.org Join our List: http://www.drugsense.org/amma/ ******************************************************** 7/15/00 Pubdate: Sat, July 15, 2000 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Sacramento Bee Contact: opinion@sacbee.com Address: P.O.Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852 Feedback: http://www.sacbee.com/about_us/sacbeemail.html Website: http://www.sacbee.com/ Forum: http://www.sacbee.com/voices/voices_forum.html Author: Claire Cooper and Denny Walsh, Bee Staff Writers Related: http://www.kubby.com/ Note: This is the best and most accurate media report we've seen to date. JUDGE EXPECTED TO REVERSE MEDICAL MARIJUANA BAN: DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM READY IN OAKLAND By Claire Cooper and Denny Walsh Bee Staff Writers SAN FRANCISCO -- U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said he'll issue a new ruling Monday on medical marijuana, indicating he probably will clear the way for an Oakland cooperative to provide legal pot to patients who must use it because of "medical necessity." Oakland is ready to dispense pot Tuesday, said City Attorney Jayne Williams. The city deputized workers at the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative two years ago. It has verified medical records of people authorized to use marijuana and has issued them special photo-identification cards. The ruling also could bolster the legal position of some pot providers or users throughout northwestern California. While they still could be prosecuted under federal drug laws, they could defend themselves by showing "medical necessity" -- that is, that the drug provided relief to a person with no legal alternative for relieving symptoms of a serious medical condition such as AIDS or cancer. The terms of Breyer's proposed order were not spelled out. But in a hearing Friday, he said the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had directed him to reconsider his 1998 injunction against the 2,500-member Oakland cooperative. Issued under the federal controlled-substances act, the injunction stopped all marijuana distribution at the Oakland facility. "I see no reason why I would not modify the injunction," Breyer said. In a 1999 opinion, the appellate court told Breyer to weigh whether the public interest would be served by making marijuana available to seriously ill people whose only choices are to suffer or break the law. Mark Quinlivan, a lawyer from the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, urged Breyer to interpret the directive narrowly. But Breyer said the circuit would simply send the case back once more. "I don't think that's fair to anybody," he said. Quinlivan said the federal government has not decided whether to take the circuit's decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The deadline is in about two weeks. San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan was prepared to join Williams against Quinlivan, but Breyer said he didn't need to hear from the defense. Afterward, Hallinan said the legal principles that Breyer sets forth Monday will be applicable throughout the coastal judicial district extending from Monterey to the Oregon border. Gerald Uelmen, a lawyer for the Oakland cooperative, said Breyer's expected ruling also should encourage use of the medical necessity defense in other cases throughout California. Enforcement of the federal Controlled Substances Act has been uneven since the state passed a medical marijuana initiative in 1996. In federal court in Sacramento, sentencing is set for July 28 for Margaret and William Riddick of Newcastle, who pleaded guilty to growing pot -- for a San Francisco cooperative, they said. Their lawyers advised them a medical necessity defense would not be allowed. A pretrial hearing is scheduled to resume Aug. 16 in another Sacramento federal court case, that of Bryan James Epis of Los Altos, who also maintains his pot was grown for a cooperative. The defendant in another Sacramento case, B.E. Smith of Trinity County, has an appeal pending in the 9th Circuit. Smith was diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and had a doctor's prescription for marijuana. A jury convicted him in 1999 after U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. barred a medical necessity defense. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 08:11:13 -0700 From: majordomo@mapinc.org To: restore@crrh.org Subject: DND: US NM: Drug Ring Allegedly Cloned Potent Pot Message-ID: <200007161511.IAA15981@americium.baremetal.com> URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n983/a08.html Newshawk: Doug Caddy Pubdate: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM) Copyright: 2000 Albuquerque Journal Contact: opinion@abqjournal.com Address: P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103 Website: http://www.abqjournal.com/ Author: Guillermo Contreras, Journal Staff Writer DRUG RING ALLEGEDLY CLONED POTENT POT Federal authorities are investigating a drug-trafficking organization that allegedly was cloning marijuana to get highly potent yields. Court records alleged one member of the business would clone marijuana plants and sell them to growers. The marijuana then would be distributed in New Mexico and California. Cloning is a seedless growing technique where the grower selects a "mother" plant with exceptional characteristics and clips off a piece of genetic plant material, DEA agent Timothy R. Davis said in court records. The grower places the material in a solution under high-intensity lights until roots are developed. Once the cloned plant matures, it is an exact copy of the "mother" plant, Davis said. "I think it's relatively new," said Bill Hansen, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Albuquerque. "If you clone the marijuana plants, that means you don't have to buy seeds, and that's one less way of being detected." Gregory Phillips, a professor of plant genetics in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at New Mexico State University, said growing by conventional methods a - using seeds a - results in a mix of characteristics from the two parent plants. Often, one of those plants isn't as good as the other. "The advantage of cloning is if you have one individual plant with high-grade characteristics, then you can mass-produce a number of plants with these same qualities," Phillips said. A drug agent familiar with the case said the growing operation is one of the most sophisticated in recent years. "We always find one or two (marijuana growing operations), but it may have been (the early 1990s) since we found a conspiracy of this nature, something this organized," the agent said. "Every year, we're going to find someone growing it for themselves. But it's probably been that long since we've done a conspiracy of this magnitude, where there's been a lot of interstate trafficking." Hansen said marijuana plants grown in greenhouses generally are more potent than those grown outdoors. "They have a higher yield of THC," he said, referring to the active ingredient in marijuana. The investigation began New Year's Eve when the Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies raided a Sandia Park home and found 117 high-grade cloned marijuana plants, 22 guns, 30,000 rounds of ammunition and $26,000 in cash. Agents with the FBI, the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Customs Service also participated. Marcus Hahn, 29, and Steven Snelling, 50, were arrested and subsequently indicted on federal drug and gun charges. Hahn also faces state charges of sexual assault on children. "I have no information that Mark is part of any huge (marijuana) conspiracy such as that apparently described in the affidavits," Hahn's attorney, Kari Converse, said Thursday. Snelling's attorney, Howard L. Anderson, said Friday that he had no comment, but "we'll deal with it at trial." The search-warrant affidavits said the raid on Hahn's home netted information linking Hahn to other people suspected of peddling marijuana. That led them to raid the home of one of Hahn's alleged associates in Sandia Park on Feb. 8. In that search, agents found 43 high-grade cloned cannabis plants, two large bags containing smaller bags of marijuana and a 12-gauge shotgun, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in February. Affidavits filed July 6 said a confidential informant told the DEA that Hahn provided three cycles of cloned marijuana plants to associates in Cliff and Glenwood to pay a debt on a load of marijuana that was stolen from Hahn in Long Beach, Calif. The DEA's Davis alleged in the July 6 affidavits that Hahn derived his income almost solely from drug trafficking. Converse disputed the allegations. "I can confirm that they did find marijuana at (Hahn's) place," she said. "I can also say that he's had a legitimate business, so the allegations that he has no legitimate income is not true. They have the (IRS) documents to prove it." Converse said Hahn was a guide for "skiing, hunting and other sorts of mountaineering types of activities." Authorities late last month searched two areas in southwestern New Mexico for other greenhouses, including one that reportedly was underground. The documents said agents raided two homes in Glenwood and Cliff, and seized some marijuana plant roots, nearly 500 grams of marijuana, several documents, a Rolodex, marijuana cigarettes and a book on how to construct underground buildings. No charges have been filed against the owners of the homes. However, the documents allege they joined their marijuana yields with Hahn and delivered the drugs to distributors in Los Angeles. In other federal court records, one confidential source said Hahn produced 5 to 7 pounds of marijuana every 45 days. Those court records said Hahn allegedly derived hashish from the marijuana and made hashish oil, which is sprinkled on cigarettes or cigars. The records alleged Hahn sold the oil for $300 an ounce, and that the informant told agents that Hahn earned at least $250,000 a year from drug trafficking. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D --------------C315F1ADD89D92727448721F ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 01:16:31 -0700 (PDT) From: "Ras Ed Forchion,US Dissident" To: restore@crrh.org Subject: LMP- Internet Press Release ( Evidence thrown out) Message-ID: <20000716081631.13836.qmail@web1302.mail.yahoo.com> Press Release : http://www.tlmp.org/Internet_Press_release.html My trial was scheduled to begin on August 28th. On July 7th a Suppression Motion was heard before Judge Brown. At this hearing Camden County Prosecution Investigator Jerome Kee admitted he didn't have a search warrant when the FEDEX package containing 40lbs was seized. ( A fourth amendment violation). Judge Brown will rule on July 18th. "I was facing a possible 40 year term if convicted". Ed Forchion founder of the Legalize Marijuana Party , South Jersey Cannabis Buyer's Club. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get Yahoo! Mail ­ Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 18:01:44 EDT From: Ibeinky@aol.com To: crobe@eots.com, restore@crrh.org Subject: Re: your letter to Bill Message-ID: In the bible,God said herbs bearing seed is good.God put marijuana on the earth for man.It is right by God.I would rather go with my beliefs on God before I would in the goverment.It is in the federial law back in 1937, Marijuana could be used in medication.Where are all our rights.As far as the cathlic bible that is the most well known.As well as printed.Just think its on the first page of the bible :- ) I was raised cathlic but now I can't say I am any special religon.I have my faith (Big time) I would fight my goverment big time if it was between my God and the law.I believe that was one part of our goverment at one time. LOL WHATS THE IN GOD WE TRUST Now getting off of religon. The federial goverment has more information then they need to know marijuana is medical proven to help people. Its they make alot of money.Also they have to say they are wrong! LOL The goverment say they were wrong.Let people out of jail that really didn't do anything wrong.Take sick peoples medicane than arresst them and fine them.They need to change.I have lost my respect for the goverment.I know we need it but to know something and still keep it from the people is WRONG. What do we have to do to get it across.I would love to have one of the officials have my seizures.Then let them see if they would want the laws changed to help the people. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 18:03:50 -0400 From: tigger2333@juno.com To: restore@crrh.org Subject: Re: Cannabis therapeutique Message-ID: <20000716.180456.-257687.1.TIGGER2333@juno.com> English Please!! I can't read French! On Sat, 15 Jul 2000 09:33:04 EDT "CRRH mailing list" writes: > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- > IACM-Bulletin en français du 14 juillet 2000 > ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 18:32:11 -0400 From: "Ann" To: "list crrh a" , "list Moms a" , Subject: The Emperor's recovery.... :-) Message-ID: <005b01bfef75$b00fc9a0$9df50018@pwtkt1.ri.home.com> Here is the latest info I have on Jack Herer's condition: The stroke effected the right side of his body. He has not regained speech or movement yet, but is expected to. They expect this to happen within the coming week. He is expected to make a full, or very near full recovery. As Jack is left-handed, he has been able to communicate by writing short notes. He will probably be hospitalized for a week, maybe two. He is in the VA hospital in PORTLAND, Oregon. (Can someone in Oregon check the phonebook and post the mailing address for the hospital? Several people have asked where they can send cards and flowers. I forgot to ask for the address. Actually, it may be a good idea, before posting, to call the hospital and get confirmation and a room number..) It has been reported that the first signs of trouble occurred while he was addressing the Hempfest in Oregon on Friday night. Towards the end of his speech, several in the crowd noticed his speech had begun to slur and something appeared not to be quite 'right'. He left the stage under his own power and was later taken, by ambulance, to the hospital. Jeanne and his children are with him. The prognosis is good. Keep the prayers and positive thoughts flowing. love ann ************************************************* Life is not a matter of holding good cards, it's playing a poor hand well. Robert Louis Stevenson Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe. ************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 16:05:48 PDT From: "renee boje" To: freerenee@drugsense.org Subject: RB: Spell to free the Herb... Message-ID: <20000716230548.70738.qmail@hotmail.com> PLEASE SPREAD THIS MESSAGE FAR & WIDE... Please join us in our magical spell to free the cannabis plant & the cannabis prisoners around the world! Tomorrow on the full moon evening of, Monday July 17th from 5-5:20pm(PST) four women, including myself, will be performing a spell to free the cannabis plant and the cannabis prisoners around the world! And, I invite you all to participate in the spell! To join us, tune in to the Healing Herb Hour on Monday evening, July 17th from 5-6pm(PST) on http://www.pottv.net, so that we can all send our energy out to the Universe at the same time & do a magical, powerful spell to free the herb! 4 wiccan cannabis priestesses will be performing the spell from the 4 directions in North America and representing the 4 directions around the world. We will be invoking the male & female representations of the Hindu cannabis deity Shiva & Shakti to help perform the spell. Feel free to make an offering or an altar to Shiva & Shakti, or just send your energy out to Shiva & Shakti along with us... After the spell, I will be talking with Karen Watson, in Vancouver British Columbia about her cannabis friendly Vancouver Bed & Breakfast, called the Amsterdam & her plans of throwing a Grower's Cup in Vancouver this April. Thank you! In unity, magic & love, Renee Boje http://www.reneeboje.com ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com -- To unsubscribe from freerenee, send a message to freerenee-request@drugsense.org containing the command "unsubscribe" ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 19:14:59 EDT From: Captainj0ey@aol.com To: Echosduchanvre@aol.com, restore@crrh.org Subject: Re: Cannabis therapeutique Message-ID: <62.55d4112.26a39bf3@aol.com> any english version of this email available? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 19:48:56 -0400 From: cowboy@jug-or-not.com To: dpffl@drugsense.org Cc: restore@crrh.org Subject: Drug Warrior and his e-mail address Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000716194856.00907cd0@jug-or-not.com> Write this Fascist and tell him to stop doing the devil's work.. X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2919.6600 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 09:02:51 -0700 Reply-To: "CJUST-L: Criminal Justice Discussion List" Sender: "CJUST-L: Criminal Justice Discussion List" From: Carl Walter Subject: Drug Stuff All this rancor over the drug issue has been most entertaining and enlightening. In fact, I find that I have little to add since it would be re-hashing what many of us have stated time and time again, and that the theorists don't want to consider. Oh well. Tonight, I go out and do my part for the skirmish on drugs as I will be involved in a drug sweep tonight. We expect to go out, contact and evaluate numerous subjects for being under the influence of controlled substances - and then arrest them (where they will be subsequently released within a matter of hours even if for felony possession - such is the reality of drug arrests). Probably 80% of them will be polydrug users - they will have more than one substance in their system. About 70% will have marijuana on board in addition to other drugs ... and about 40% will likely have alcohol on board as well. I will post any interesting tales I find here ... in fact, now that I will be a regular part of these drug sweeps I can post my anecdotal evidence frequently. I am sure many of you will await my insight with baited breath! :) Anyway, I am off to my morning caffeine fix (which, by the way, if it were made illegal I would not consume) then yard work before my evening drug duty. Regards to all, Carl (P.S. go get 'em Michelle!) ---- Carl Walter Senior Police Officer FTO/SRO cdwjava@home.com A So. Cal Cop ... Make mine a double mocha ... and a croissant! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 20:08:26 -0400 From: "Ann" To: "list crrh a" , , Subject: Winning the war to end the war Message-ID: <008001bfef83$21979640$9df50018@pwtkt1.ri.home.com> Richard makes an excellent point. Please check dates on articles before posting. Recycling old information raises hopes and expectations that may be unrealistic. It also adds to confusion and prompts efforts that may not have timely value. Another point that I would like to address is the concept of "warring factions" within the movement. Are there intellectual differences between individuals regarding the most efficient and purposeful methods to achieve goals? Absolutely. This exists is all organizations - it's a product of human nature. To categorize these as warring factions is neither accurate, nor fair. We must keep our eye on the common goal. As for Ms Huffington and Mr Harsbarger - we are all aware of their political backgrounds and affiliations. Personally, I do not see this as a major stumbling block, but an opportunity to build a bridge. This is the opportunity we have been working for - to pull together with those who have differed with us in the past. Bill Maher has been working tirelessly to convince political conservatives that ending the drug war is a policy they should embrace. I believe we are seeing the fruit of his labors. I look forward to mending fences on this issue with those who may not have been supportive in the past. In the coming months I hope we will have many opportunities to bring others around to our way of thinking. This is the only way we will win. It is important to remain cognizant of potential hidden agendas, but we cannot allow ourselves to bite our nose to spite our face. We are at the threshold of a major breakthrough in our battles. Taking our ball and going home is not an option. It is time, rather, to dig in our heels and take advantage of every opportunity we have available to get our message into the mainstream of political commentary. Let's not blow it. The big picture is far more important than any individual. Like the Libertarians, the Shadow Conventions are an organized power force with adequate funding and mainstream media ties. This is the progress we have been striving to reach. We must not turn our backs now due to personality conflicts or old grudges. Bury it - or deal with it privately, quietly OUTSIDE the MedMj/anti-prohibition movements. To bring these issues into this forum at this time borders on sabotage. Let this be a time of outreach and reconciliation. We have been made aware of the potential conflicts of interest. We are all thinking adults, capable of handling ourselves in potentially adversarial situations. Let us put our faith in the proven leaders of this movement and push forward to bring a resolution to this nightmare and the realization of our shared objectives. peace. ann ps: When I joined the Libertarian Party I heard no rumblings or criticisms about my background as a 'Kennedy Democrat' - one of those 'damn Irish Catholics' -- let's keep that in mind when we start throwing stones. We all - with no exclusions - come with 'baggage'. The only thing that matters is what we are willing to fight -and put our time, energy, resources and reputations on the line for - NOW. ************************************************* Life is not a matter of holding good cards, it's playing a poor hand well. Robert Louis Stevenson Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe. ************************************************* From: "Richard Lake" > Friends, this is not new news. The press release was sent out Tue Jan 13 > 17:00:34 1998 !!! This is suddenly making the rounds of discussion lists > as if it was something new. I just posted the following to the DPFT list: > > It seems someone picked up on this site on one of the lists and the story > has been moving around like it was new news. > > The rescheduling petition has sat at HHS since the press release (not > saying that nothing is happening, but is sure seems like it). Once in a > while Jon Gettman talks about the effort on the DRCTALK list. > > May be more on what is happening on either the High Times or NORML websites. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 17:19:14 -0700 From: "D. Paul Stanford" To: compassionatemoms@egroups.com,"list crrh a" , "list Moms a" , Subject: Re: MOMS The Emperor's recovery.... :-) Message-ID: <4.3.2.7.2.20000716171359.00c99c80@mail.olywa.net> At 06:32 PM 7/16/00 -0400, Ann wrote: >Here is the latest info I have on Jack Herer's condition: > >The stroke effected the right side of his body. He has not regained speech >or movement yet, but is expected to. They expect this to happen within the >coming week. He is expected to make a full, or very near full recovery. As >Jack is left-handed, he has been able to communicate by writing short notes. >He will probably be hospitalized for a week, maybe two. > >He is in the VA hospital in PORTLAND, Oregon. (Can someone in Oregon check >the phonebook and post the mailing address for the hospital? Several people >have asked where they can send cards and flowers. I forgot to ask for the >address. Actually, it may be a good idea, before posting, to call the >hospital and get confirmation and a room number..) The VA Hospital address is: Portland VA MC 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd, Portland, OR 97201 Jack's currently in room: 5 D - 113 Though Jack is not in any condition to take phone calls there, someone in his family may be. Use discretion. The number is 220-8262 extension 52634. Yours truly, D. Paul in Portland >It has been reported that the first signs of trouble occurred while he was >addressing the Hempfest in Oregon on Friday night. Towards the end of his >speech, several in the crowd noticed his speech had begun to slur and >something appeared not to be quite 'right'. He left the stage under his own >power and was later taken, by ambulance, to the hospital. > >Jeanne and his children are with him. The prognosis is good. > >Keep the prayers and positive thoughts flowing. > >love >ann > > >************************************************* >Life is not a matter of holding good cards, >it's playing a poor hand well. >Robert Louis Stevenson > >Love many, trust few, >always paddle your own canoe. >************************************************* > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Wish you had something rad to add to your email? >We do at www.supersig.com. >http://click.egroups.com/1/6810/4/_/110161/_/963786534/ >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >To Post a message, send it to: compassionatemoms@eGroups.com > >To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: >compassionatemoms-unsubscribe@eGroups.com CRRH is working to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults like alcohol, allow doctors to prescribe cannabis through pharmacies and restore the unregulated production of industrial hemp. *Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp* mail: CRRH ; P.O. Box 86741 ; Portland, OR 97286 USA email: crrh@crrh.org phone: (503) 235-4606 fax: (503) 235-0120 web: http://www.crrh.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 20:17:43 -0400 From: cowboy@jug-or-not.com To: restore@crrh.org Cc: dpffl@drugsense.org Subject: Journey For Justice IV Texas Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.20000716201743.00911d20@jug-or-not.com> Early in the Spring of 1997, Kay Lee left her home in Ft. Worth, Texas en-route to Ohio. She had a one way plane ticket, provided by NCNORML and a vision she shared with Ohio resident Dan Asbury, a quadriplegic. The vision of Dan Asbury, surrounded by fellow patients, friends and supporters as they made their way across Ohio in wheelchairs, educating the citizens about the need for this gentle medicine. The vision became a reality when in late May 1997 "The Journey for Justice", supported by NORML and the people of Ohio (and the country) began its 2-3 mile per hour ride/march to the Ohio Capitol. News of the Journey spread far and wide, arriving at the Capitol in Columbus was not the end of the Journey, but a beginning. Since boarding that one-way flight to Ohio, Miss Kay Lee's journey has not ended. Patients have called upon friends of the Journey to amplify their voice in Wisconsin and Florida. Journeyers have traveled many miles talking about the need for legal access to medical marijuana and the travesty of this war. Miss Kay was not surprised at the news of prisoner Frank Valdez's death by the hands of prison guards at the Florida State Correctional Facility. Prisoners from across the country had been writing her, detailing conditions that would surely lead to more deaths if left unchecked. The Journey for Justice in Florida, equipped with a moving prison cell, incorporated the needs of prisoners ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000 20:56:08 -0700 From: "D. Paul Stanford" To: restore@crrh.org Subject: 2 local news reports on the hemp fest. Message-ID: <4.3.2.7.2.20000716205536.00c9f270@mail.olywa.net> From: BrittLeeC@aol.com Subject: 2 local news reports on the hemp fest. July 16, 2000 Peaceful crowd enjoys sunny hemp celebration By SUSAN PALMER The Register-Guard HARRISBURG - The cars lined up five across and 20 deep at the entrance to the World Hemp Festival 2000 on Saturday afternoon south of Harrisburg, and Quiet Garofano darted among them hitting drivers up for spare change. "Anything, even a penny will help," Garofano told one fairgoer. The dreadlocked and much-pierced Garofano hoped to get enough so he and three friends could make the $14 entrance fee. "One dude just gave me $20," Garofano said. Brian Merrick of Astral Glass in Eugene heats up glass to make a bong on Saturday. Photo: KEVIN GERMAN / The Register-Guard A New Hampshire resident, Garofano and his friends happened upon the fair serendipitously. On their way from the counterculture Rainbow Gathering in Montana to Arcata, Calif., they stopped at a rest area outside Eugene on Friday night. There they ran into another group of young people "puffin' nuggets" - a euphemism for smoking marijuana - who told them about the hemp fest. "We went, `Yeah, we=B4re here,=B4 " Garofano said. He was just one of an expected crowd of 10,000 to 12,000 at what may be the last World Hemp Fest in Harrisburg. Promoter Bill Conde has announced that he plans to sell his property and business, Conde's Redwood Lumber, and move to the Central American nation of Belize after years of battling local officials, who have objected to drug use and sales at his concerts and festivals. This weekend, private security guards checked purses, backpacks and other containers at the entrance to the fair, and two Linn County sheriff's deputies strolled through the food and craft booths lining the fields where the three-day festival is held. Despite the stronger security presence and Conde's assurances that drugs wouldn't be condoned at the festival, "puffin' nuggets" was evident Saturday. Conde couldn't be reached to comment on drug