Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 16:27:24 -0500 (CDT)
From: Marijuana Policy Project rob@...
Subject: Patient sentenced to death for medical marijuana

Marijuana Policy Project Alert	May 1, 2008
Dear: Timothy Garon's face and arms are hauntingly skeletal, but the fluid building up in his abdomen makes the 56-year-old musician look eight months pregnant. His liver, ravaged by hepatitis C, is failing. Without a new one, his doctors tell him, he will be dead in days. But Garon's been refused a spot on the transplant list, largely because he has used marijuana, even though it was legally approved for medical reasons. — Associated Press, April 26, 2008 If federal law allowed marijuana to be treated like a medicine and not a drug of abuse, Timothy Garon wouldn't be about to die. (Because donated organs are scare, hospitals use selection standards that include drug use — even if that drug is medical marijuana that was recommended by the patient's doctor and legal under state law.) When we say that the federal government's marijuana policies actually kill people, it's no exaggeration. This is a wrenchingly outrageous example of federal marijuana laws being responsible for killing a patient ... for no other reason than that he followed the advice of his doctor and used medical marijuana, as permitted by Washington state, where he lives. Would you take one minute to ask your member of Congress to put a stop to this cruelty? MPP's online action center makes it simple; just enter your name and address and we'll do the rest. You can also watch news coverage of this awful story here and here. Our thoughts are with Timothy Garon and others like him — but thoughts are not enough. Won't you please insist that Congress change federal law now? Thank you, Rob Kampia Executive Director Marijuana Policy Project Washington, D.C. P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2008. This means that your donation today will be doubled. P.P.S. You can opt out of receiving fundraising mentions in the e-mail alerts I send you in 2008 by visiting www.mpp.org/2008optoutpreference at your convenience.	Raised in '08 $921,648 Goal in '08 $3,000,000 MPP will be able to tackle all of the projects in our 2008 strategic plan if you and other allies are generous enough to fund our work. Popular Links: MPP's home page FAQ State-by-state medical marijuana laws MPP news releases 2008 strategic plan Download hand-outs About the Marijuana Policy Project MedicalMarijuanaProCon.org Why donate?   MPP e-mail list options To change your e-mail alert preferences, please send a message to membership@....   Small Print … You are receiving this e-mail because you are subscribed to MPP's e-mail alerts. To unsubscribe, click the link at the bottom of this message. Removal may take up to two business days. To contact MPP, please click here or reply to this e-mail. Our mailing address is MPP, P.O. Box 77492, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20013.
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Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:46:22 -0700
From: Herb regularguy@...
Subject: MAP: Albert Hofmann

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1912485/Albert-Hofmann,-LSD-inventor,-dies.html

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:47:13 -0700
From: Richard Lake rlake@...
Subject: ALERT: #364 Did You Read the Los Angeles Times Dust Up Debates?

DID YOU READ THE LOS ANGELES TIMES DUST UP DEBATES?

*********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #364 - Friday, 25 April 2008

This week the editorial pages of the Los Angeles Times featured a
drug war debate between Jacob Sullum, who needs no introduction; and
Charles "Cully" Stimson who was a local, state and federal
prosecutor, a military prosecutor and defense attorney, and a deputy
assistant secretary of Defense. Currently, he is a senior legal
fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

The series is MAP archived as follows:

Monday's DUST UP http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n414/a05.html

Tuesday's DUST UP http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n415/a09.html

Wednesday's DUST UP http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n418/a05.html

Thursday's DUST UP http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n421/a02.html

Friday's DUST UP http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n426.a01.html

Besides being targets for letters to the editor the series provides
arguments we are likely to see as efforts are made for and against
initiatives which will be on the ballot in various states.

Tuesday's DUST UP about medical marijuana presents arguments we may
see about the Michigan initiative
http://StopArrestingPatients.org/ Already one Detroit TV station
has been broadcasting anti-initiative ads you may see at
http://stoparrestingpatients.org/video.html

The other OPEDs present arguments we may see used for or against the
California's initiative, the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act
of 2008 http://www.drugpolicy.org/statebystate/california/nora/

What happens on Election Day is up to you. If you are not registered
to vote, there are websites that provide help, like Rock the Vote at
http://drugsense.org/url/Ylqy68Vz

**********************************************************************

Style guides for writing effective letters to the editor are
available at MAP's Media Activism Center:

http://www.mapinc.org/resource/#guides

**********************************************************************

Prepared by: The MAP Media Activism Team www.mapinc.org/resource

===
.
DrugSense provides many services at no charge, but they are not
free to produce. Your contributions make DrugSense and its Media
Awareness Project (MAP) happen. Please donate today. Our secure Web
server at http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm accepts credit cards.
Or, mail your check or money order to:
.
DrugSense
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(800) 266 5759
.
DrugSense is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising
awareness about the expensive, ineffective, and destructive "War on
Drugs." Donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:53:33 -0700
From: webmaster@... (Drug Sense)
Subject: DrugSense Weekly, April 25, 2008, #546

***********************************************************************

DRUGSENSE WEEKLY

***********************************************************************

DrugSense Weekly, April 25, 2008 #546

Read This Publication On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/current.htm

------------------

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

* This Just In

(1) Drug Cartels in Mexico Put Up 'Help Wanted' Ads
(2) Sentences Reduced For 3,000 Cocaine Inmates
(3) Police Right To Search, Seize Evidence Affirmed
(4) Top Court To Rule On Use Of Sniffer Dogs

* Weekly News in Review

Drug Policy-

(5) OPED: Campaign Working, Can Do More
(6) Column: Arizona's War On Meth: What About All The Other Drugs?
(7) OPED: Drug Testing Flawed
(8) OPED: Drug Testing Students Unacceptable
(9) Polk Schools May Double Random Testing For Drugs
(10) Officials Report Decline In Teen Substance Abuse

Law Enforcement & Prisons-

(11) Drug Raid Targets Student Population
(12) Alarmed By Drug Use Among The Young, Chester Parents Take Action
(13) A Painful Choice For Moms In Prison
(14) Editorial: Costly Prison Healthcare
(15) OPED: 'Prohibition' Forces Police To Waste Resources

Cannabis & Hemp-

(16) Marijuana 101: School Teaches Ins, Outs Of Pot
(17) CU's 4/20 Pot Smoke-Out Draws Crowd Of 10,000
(18) Senate May Snuff Marijuana Bill
(19) Pot Law Challenged As Rights Violation

International News-

(20) From Mexico, Drug Violence Spills Into U.S.
(21) New 'Safe' Party Pills Make Some Users Sick
(22) NATO Undermining Opium Fight, Khalid Says
(23) Sam Casts Lot With Insite

* Hot Off The 'Net

America's Gulag Just Keeps Growing / By Ethan Nadelmann
Canadian Court Rules Sniffer-Dog Searches Are Unlawful
Feds Bring An Ounce Of Sanity To Drug Laws / By Malakkar Vohryzek
'Gateway' To Washington Debate
420 Vancouver BC 2008 Full Length Music Video With Pictures
DPA Vs. ONDCP
Drug Truth Network
Final UN Human Rights Resolution Emerges In Diluted Form
MAPS News April 2008

* What You Can Do This Week

No More Marijuana Arrests

* Letter Of The Week

False Positives / Redford Givens

* Feature Article

Your Tax Dollars at Work in 2007 / Mary Jane Borden

* Quote of the Week

Barack Obama

DrugSense needs your support to continue this newsletter and many
other important projects - see how you can help at
http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

***********************************************************************

THIS JUST IN
=======================================================================

(1) DRUG CARTELS IN MEXICO PUT UP 'HELP WANTED' ADS

Pubdate: Fri, 25 Apr 2008
Source: USA Today (US)
Copyright: 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc
Author: Chris Hawley, USA TODAY

Fliers, Banners Urge Soldiers to Defect for Good Pay, Free Cars,
Better Food

MEXICO CITY -- One of Mexico's biggest drug cartels has launched a
brazen recruiting campaign, putting up fliers and banners promising
good pay, free cars and better food to army soldiers who join the
cartel's elite band of hit men.

"We don't feed you Maruchan soups," said one banner in the border
city of Nuevo Laredo, referring to a brand of ramen noodles.

The recruiting by the Gulf Cartel reflects how Mexico's fight
against traffickers increasingly resembles a real war, nearly 17
months after President Felipe Calderon ordered the army into drug
hot spots.

"Army and police-force conflicts with heavily armed narcotics
cartels have escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit
combat," the U.S. Embassy said last week in a travel warning to
Americans.

Fliers urging soldiers to defect began appearing earlier this month
in the border city of Reynosa. They were pasted on telephone poles
over government posters that offered rewards to drug informants.

"Former soldiers sought to form armed group; good pay, 500 dollars,"
the fliers read.

[snip]

The Mexican military has long had a problem with desertion. From
January to September last year, 4,956 soldiers deserted, about 2.5%
of the force, according to the National Defense Secretariat.

Soldiers are facing more incentive to switch sides because of
Calderon's decision to use troops against the drug traffickers, said
Arturo Alvarado , a sociologist who studies criminal-justice issues
at the College of Mexico.

Thousands of soldiers have spent months away from their families,
patrolling border cities. An army private earns an average of $533 a
month, the National Defense Secretariat said.

"I don't see why these supposed recruiting ( signs ) should be a
particular worry to the government because the recruiting occurs in
other ways," Alvarado said.

"But what's true is that there is enormous desertion in the Mexican
army and police force," he said. "They should be worried about that
and take action to offer better working conditions."

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n423.a02.html

===

(2) SENTENCES REDUCED FOR 3,000 COCAINE INMATES

Pubdate: Fri, 25 Apr 2008
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2008 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Some 3,000 inmates convicted on crack cocaine
charges have had their prison sentences reduced since the federal
government eased penalties for drug crimes that mostly involved
blacks, said a federal Sentencing Commission study released on
Thursday.

In December, the commission voted to ease the way courts meted out
penalties for drug crimes to address disparities in the treatment of
crack-related crimes compared with those involving powdered cocaine.
Four out of five crack cocaine defendants are black, and most powder
cocaine convictions involve whites.

Since March 3, when new federal sentencing guidelines went into
effect, 3,647 crack cocaine offenders had applied for early release.
The study said that federal judges nationwide had agreed to reduce
prison sentences for 3,075 inmates.

About 1,600 federal inmates were eligible for immediate release, but
the study said it was not clear how many offenders had been actually
been freed.

Black inmates accounted for 84 percent of those given less prison
time, bolstering the commission's view that the former guidelines had
created a racial disparity because of the way cocaine offenders were
sentenced.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n423.a03.html

===

(3) POLICE RIGHT TO SEARCH, SEIZE EVIDENCE AFFIRMED

Pubdate: Thu, 24 Apr 2008
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Author: Pete Yost, Associated Press

It's OK Even If Arrest Violated State Law, Supreme Court Rules

The Supreme Court affirmed Wednesday that police have the power to
conduct searches and seize evidence, even when done during an
arrest that turns out to have violated state law.

The unanimous decision comes in a case from Portsmouth, Va., where
city detectives seized crack cocaine from a motorist after arresting
him for a traffic ticket.

David Lee Moore was pulled over for driving with a suspended
license. The violation is a minor crime in Virginia and calls for
police to issue a court summons and let the driver go.

Instead, city detectives arrested Moore and prosecutors say that
drugs taken from him in a subsequent search can be used against him
as evidence.

[snip]

State law, said the Virginia Supreme Court, restricted officers to
issuing a ticket in exchange for a promise to appear later in
court. Virginia courts dismissed the indictment against Moore.

Moore argued that the Fourth Amendment permits a search only
following a lawful state arrest.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she finds
more support for Moore's position in previous court cases than the
rest of the court does. But she said she agrees that the arrest and
search of Moore was constitutional, even though it violated Virginia
law.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n424.a01.html

===

(4) TOP COURT TO RULE ON USE OF SNIFFER DOGS

Pubdate: Fri, 25 Apr 2008
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2008 The Ottawa Citizen
Author: Janice Tibbetts, The Ottawa Citizen

Critics Say Using Animals to Detect Drugs in Public Places Is
Unreasonable Search, Seizure

A case that started with a dog named Chief trying to sniff out drugs
at a n Ontario high school culminates in a Supreme Court of Canada
ruling today on whether police can use scent-tracking canines for
random searches in public places, including schools, parks, malls,
airports and bus terminals.

"This has far-reaching implications way past schools," said Paul
Wubben, director of education for the St. Clair Catholic District
School Board in southern Ontario, where principals routinely call
police to bring in sniffer dogs to help rid schools of drugs.

At issue in the Supreme Court is whether sniffer dogs are an
invasion of privacy that amounts to unreasonable search and seizure
under the Charter of Rights. The court will hand down rulings in two
separate cases that have sparked enormous commentary and speculation
in legal circles, in the absence of any clear Canadian law.

The decisions could put an end to random sweeps with sniffer dogs,
which are commonplace.

In the case that has attracted the most attention, the court will
decide whether police in Sarnia, Ont., violated the student body's
constitutional rights by bringing a scent-tracking dog into St.
Patrick's High School i n November 2002.

The police, who had received a standing invitation from the
principal, admitted in earlier proceedings that they were not acting
on a tip, they had no reason to believe student safety was
threatened and that it would have been a "fruitless exercise" to try
to obtain a search warrant.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n424.a02.html

***********************************************************************

WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW
=======================================================================

Domestic News- Policy
----------------------------------

COMMENT: (5-10)

Thank goodness for freedom of speech and newspapers willing to
participate in the process! After a documentary called "Crystal
Darkness" was blasted throughout the state of Arizona the East
Valley Tribune printed OPEDs from both sides of the issue.

Two Whitefish, Montana residents found ink in their local paper
explaining why they disagree with student drug testing in response
to a public meeting about the subject. Meanwhile a Florida school
district discusses plans to double the number of students tested
even though a recent survey reported a decline in drug use.

===

(5) OPED: CAMPAIGN WORKING, CAN DO MORE

Pubdate: Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ)
Copyright: 2008 East Valley Tribune.
Authors: Terry Goddard, and Don Stapley

In an effort to educate Arizona residents about the horrible impact
methamphetamine has on people, lives and our community, a 30-minute
documentary, "Crystal Darkness," was shown Tuesday on virtually
every television station across our state.

"Crystal Darkness" organizers hoped the effort would initiate
conversations about meth and encourage current and former meth
users to seek treatment.

The program, which has already aired in eight other markets in the
Southwest as well as Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, was especially
relevant in Arizona.

According to the 2006 Arizona Youth Survey, 4.3 percent of Arizona's
youth ages 13 to 17 have tried meth - significantly higher than the
national average. Not only that, but meth is the No. 1 crime problem
in Arizona with 75 percent of property and violent crimes and 65
percent of child abuse cases linked to meth use.

While we applaud the efforts of "Crystal Darkness" to shed a
necessary light on meth use in Arizona, a long-term public awareness
effort in our state is needed. In fact, such an effort was
identified as a key missing component by the Governor's
Methamphetamine Task Force.

[snip]

Although we continue to receive positive feedback from the community
regarding the Arizona Meth Project's efforts, we have come to a
point where we need the public's help in order to continue the
project's good work.

We are currently appealing to the public for donations so that we
can show the third phase of advertising, which will demonstrate how
an individual'= s meth habit affects the people around them - their
friends and families.

While the first two phases of ads showed the physical effects of
meth use - rotting teeth, bloody scabs and a trip to the hospital
emergency room - the third phase shows how meth destroys the
relationships with friends and loved ones.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n400/a08.html

===

(6) COLUMN: ARIZONA'S WAR ON METH: WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER DRUGS?

Pubdate: Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ)
Copyright: 2008 East Valley Tribune.
Author: Bill Richardson

Speed kills! And so do a lot of other drugs. But speed, now known as
met h, continues to be the emotional rallying cry for politicians
who have jumped on the anti-drug headline-grabbing bandwagon. And
Tuesday night's statewide showing of "Crystal Darkness" brought them
out in droves.

Campaign working, can do more

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Attorney General Terry Goddard,
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon were all echoing emotional testimonials on
methamphetamine. They sounded like President Bush and his prewar
weapons of mass destruction rant.

Same clowns, different circus.

[snip]

Meth abuse has been marketed by some to hit a special emotional
button.

In Portland, Ore., the Willamette Week newspaper started asking
questions about meth; reporters asked questions about the claims
made by the political and commercial doomsday crowd and The
Oregonian, the state's biggest newspaper.

A March 2006 story by Angela Valdez ( "Meth Madness: How The
Oregonian manufactured an epidemic, politicians bought in and you're
paying" ) raised questions and brought honest, nonemotional
answers. Dr. Jim Thayer, the director of a Portland addiction
treatment center, said that a feeling of hysteria has been created
and he's worried meth will take away resources used to treat other
addictions.

[snip]

In August 2005, New York Times writer John Tierney reported that
meth addiction occurs in only 5 percent of Americans who have
sampled the drug, compared with 3 percent in those who have sampled
heroin. That puts a dent in the "one time and you're hooked"
argument.

In a June 2006 Fox News report, "Study Busts Meth Myths, Says Abuse
Is Not An Epidemic or Even Widespread," it was reported "meth use
is rare in most of the United States, not the raging epidemic
described by politicians an d the media. Meth is a dangerous drug
but among the least commonly used. Overheated rhetoric, unsupported
assertions, and factual errors about meth, lead to poor decisions
about how to spend public dollars combating drug addiction."

[snip]

We're a nation of drug abusers and there's always going to be
someone out there to meet the demand. Meth is just one more
demonstrative failure of our losing war against all drugs and
addiction. And it's one more success for the purveyors and
marketers of illegal drugs. The bottom line: Meth isn't the only
drug in town.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n400/a06.html

===

(7) OPED: DRUG TESTING FLAWED

Pubdate: Thu, 17 Apr 2008
Source: Whitefish Pilot (MT)
Copyright: 2008 The Whitefish Pilot
Author: Miriam Lewis
Note: Miriam Lewis is a resident of Whitefish.

I am very distressed about the movement to introduce random,
suspicionless drug testing in Whitefish. I was at the meeting April
7, and did not speak as I had to leave early. I feel I need to
voice this opinion as many other parents feel as I do.

First I would like to point to a recent case in Washington state
that trumped the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that you quoted: In a
March 13 ruling ( York v. Wahkiakum ), the Washington state Supreme
Court rejected the random, suspicionless drug-testing of high
school students.

In so doing, the court threw out a Wahkiakum School District policy
in effect since 1999 that forced would-be student athletes to
participate in drug tests if they wished to participate in school
sports.

The state constitution offers protections to students that federal
courts have failed to find in the Fourth Amendment, the court held.

[snip]

Another study by Robert Taylor, professor at San Diego State, in The
Cato Journal. Taylor states, "Few people would question the
desirability of minimizing the use of drugs among minors. The use of
random, suspicionless drug-testing of school athletes as a means to
achieve this end is more op en to question, however.

"Not only does this policy invade the privacy of a group of students
who are relatively unlikely to use drugs, but it also discourages
athletic participation and may actually lead to an increase in
overall drug use. Even in those cases where the adoption of such
testing leads to a reduction in overall drug use, compensating
behavior by student athletes guarantees that the reduction in use
will be smaller, perhaps much smaller, than expected.

[snip]

As for myself, I want to raise my children in a loving, trusting
home where they gain ( or lose ) trust based on their actions and
choices. I think of it as starting with a clean slate and as they
grow, they earn our trust and their freedom by making good choices.

To start by saying we don't trust them and that they have to prove
us wrong is not effective or empowering. Drug testing the kids and
making them "guilty until proven innocent" doesn't earn their
respect.

It is an attempt to force respect and only causes a negative image
of authority and of the school system. It is against every gut
feeling I ha ve as a mother, and I cannot allow it to happen for my
children. It is quit e simply wrong.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n402/a08.html

===

(8) OPED: DRUG TESTING STUDENTS UNACCEPTABLE

Pubdate: Thu, 17 Apr 2008
Source: Whitefish Pilot (MT)
Copyright: 2008 The Whitefish Pilot
Author: Marie Le Moyne-Rhodes
Note: Marie Le Moyne-Rhodes lives in Whitefish.

The American Academy of Pediatrics in its latest policy statement
reports , "Drug testing poses substantial risks -- in particular,
the risk of harming the parent-child and school-child relationships
by creating an environment of resentment, distrust, and suspicion."

Indeed, most physicians oppose the use of testing at home and in
school, because: Test validity is only guaranteed when the collector
witnesses filling of the cup. They warn that parents watching teens
in the bathroom is unethical and developmentally damaging.

[snip]

I believe education's mandate does not call for analyzing bladder
contents. Urine testing is pushed by the President's Office of
National Drug Control Policy.

[snip]

It is time we to turn to approaches suggested by the Council on
School Health. I am asking our caring and intelligent staff to find
more innovative and objectively informed solutions. I deeply worry
about the direction it is taking. We are sending contradictory,
negative messages that lack respect and discourage communication.
Guilty before proven innocent.... Why target motivated students? Why
punish them by excluding them from the activities that may be their
salvation?

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n402/a06.html

===

(9) POLK SCHOOLS MAY DOUBLE RANDOM TESTING FOR DRUGS

Pubdate: Wed, 23 Apr 2008
Source: Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL)
Copyright: 2008 The Ledger
Author: John Chambliss, The Ledger

BARTOW - The Polk County School District plans to double the number
of students who will be randomly tested for drugs.

In addition to athletes, district officials will target Future
Farmers of America, Future Business Leaders of America and any other
extracurricular group that competes.

The testing program was discussed at a School Board work session
Tuesday.

If the district receives an annual $200,000 federally funded grant,
testing new students would begin by November and the number of
students randomly tested would jump from 4,500 to 9,000. In all, the
grant would total $600,000 over three years.

The tests will target only recreational drugs, not steroids.

In 2004, the district began testing for steroids, but later stopped
because it became too expensive.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n416/a06.html

===

(10) OFFICIALS REPORT DECLINE IN TEEN SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Pubdate: Sat, 19 Apr 2008
Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL)
Copyright: 2008 The Gainesville Sun
Author: Karen Voyles

State officials touted a seven-year decline in teen drug use this
week while releasing results of the 2007 Florida Youth Substance
Abuse Survey.

Continue to 2nd paragraph The annual survey is intended to measure
youth substance use statewide. This year it included answers from
7,836 sixth-through 12th-graders in 43 of the state's 67 counties.

In a news release accompanying the results, Office of Drug Control
Direct or Bill Janes described the 2007 survey results as "Great
news for Florida."= Janes also said "Illegal drug use continues to
decline. I am concerned about increases in abuse of prescription
drugs, but the overall trends are excellent."

[snip]

Marijuana use has fallen 24 percent since 2000 and was at 11 percent
for youths reporting use in the past 30 days.

Alcohol was still the most common substance used by youngsters. Its
use rate was at 31.2 percent, down from 34.3 percent in 2000.

[snip]

Twenty-seven percent of students reported they had been bullied and
23 percent acknowledged they had bullied others. From the results,
state analysts determined that, "While there does not appear to be a
clear link between being bullied and drug use, responses do indicate
a link between substance abuse and students who bully."

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n404/a03.html

=======================================================================

Law Enforcement & Prisons
-------------------------

COMMENT: (11-15)

We all know that alcohol is the most abused 'drug' among young and
old but we continue to allow the masses to concentrate on the few.
A Pennsylvania paper covered a drug raid targeting a local college
campus. No mention is made about how an 'alcohol raid' might turn
out. Although a New York State Trooper mentioned alcohol in a
gathering of concerned parents, most of his 'scare speech'
concentrated on other illicit substances.

You know the saying, "I would give my eye tooth to ..." ? Some
California female inmates are actually making that choice to get
transferred to minimum-security prisons! Unfortunately dental bills
are not the only health costs involved in the incarceration system
as revealed in an LA Times editorial.

Closing this section is a fantastic OPED LEAP founder, Peter Christ.

===

(11) DRUG RAID TARGETS STUDENT POPULATION

Pubdate: Tue, 22 Apr 2008
Source: Altoona Mirror (PA)
Copyright: 2008 Altoona Mirror
Authors: Phil Ray, and Mark Leberfinger

A drug raid Monday was a "little bit unique" because those targeted
for arrest included 10 students at Penn State Altoona, Blair County
District Attorney Richard A. Consiglio said.

Drug raids in the Altoona area have become an almost daily event,
but never before has law enforcement focused squarely on a student
population.

The message Monday was: "Nobody is going to get under the radar. We
look at everybody," Consiglio said.

[snip]

Those arrested were 10 out of more than 4,000 students, she said,
adding that the vast majority of students "are doing good in the
community."

The students arrested will be subject to a disciplinary and appeal
process, but Bechtel-Wherry said expulsion also is a possibility.

[snip]

Although none of the students sold drugs on campus, several were
charged with selling within a school zone, or within 1,000 feet of
the campus , which could mean a two-year mandatory minimum sentence
in a state correctional institution.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n416/a05.html

===

(12) ALARMED BY DRUG USE AMONG THE YOUNG, CHESTER PARENTS TAKE ACTION

Pubdate: Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Source: Chronicle, The (NY)
Copyright: 2008 Straus Newspapers
Author: Linda Smith Hancharick

CHESTER - "I always respect my enemy," New York State Trooper Steven
V. Nevel told Chester parents last week.

He was talking about the neighborhood pusher.

"Drug dealers aren't stupid," said Nevel, the school and community
outreach coordinator out of Troop "F" in Middletown. "They are good
business people. As everything in the country goes up - gas, food,
and other essentials - drug prices are going down. They have a
product to move, too. They are willing to cut the price to move it.
Then, when the demand gets better, they'll raise the prices."

Nevel came to the Chester Town Hall last Wednesday at the request of
some parents who want to be vigilant about this threat to their
kids. They want to know what to look for. Just like the technology
that kids use every day, like cell phones and iPods, drugs and their
manner of use have changed too.

[snip]

Heroin overtakes crack

The good news is that cocaine and crack are not as big in this area
as they used to be.

"Crack literally is a five-minute high," Nevel said. "I've worked
narcotics. An informant said crack was ten times better than the
best se x she ever had. But you are always chasing that same high."

[snip]

The bad news is that there is a lot of heroin out there, along with
a new product called "cheese" - a mixture of black tar heroin and
Tylenol cold medicine. It's cheap - about $2 a pack - and available.
Kids usually snort heroin or smoke it.

"Whatever is going on in the biggest city around you is coming to
your area," Nevel said.

But the biggest drug of choice can be found inside most homes -
alcohol.

"They are hiding it in their water bottles," Nevel said. "They are
walking around school drinking alcohol from water bottles."

"Kids think they are invincible," said Mary Luciana, a parent and
Chester Board of Education member. "That's been since the dawn of
time."

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n404/a02.html

===

(13) A PAINFUL CHOICE FOR MOMS IN PRISON

Pubdate: Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2008 San Jose Mercury News
Author: Edwin Garcia

Some Have Teeth Pulled To Live With Kids

SACRAMENTO - Sarina Borg had a tough choice to make. She could wait
for months, maybe more than a year, to have her rotting teeth
repaired by a dentist. Or she could get them pulled to be reunited
with her baby daughter.

In California women's prisons, dozens if not hundreds of inmates
like Borg are faced with the same wrenching decision: To gain
access to a host of vocational-training and drug-rehabilitation
programs for non-violent offenders - including a course that teaches
them parenting skills while living with their children in special
housing - - they must be cleared of any pre-existing health
problems.

Just one badly damaged tooth will block them from entering a
program.

"It's unconscionable," said Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain
View, who has proposed legislation to shorten the waiting list for
women wanting to get their teeth fixed by a prison dentist, a
measure that passed its first committee hearing last week.

"We have women who are getting 16 and 18 out of 34 teeth pulled, and
that really destroys their future job prospects," Lieber said. "We
have to change the situation."

[snip]

Mothers who undergo extractions to live with their children in the
community prisons, and who learn job skills there, have difficulty
finding work upon their release because employers would rather not
hire someone whose mouth has more gaps than teeth.

"It's probably almost as big a deal as having a criminal record,"
said Allyson West, director of the California Reentry Program, which
prepares inmates for their release from San Quentin. "They're going
to be pigeonholed because of their appearance."

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n400/a09.html

===

(14) EDITORIAL: COSTLY PRISON HEALTHCARE

Pubdate: Thu, 17 Apr 2008
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2008 Los Angeles Times

Because the Legislature Wouldn't Fix the Inmate Medical System, the
State Is Facing a $7-Billion Bill.

California's leaders are faced with the job of under-funding the
state's already struggling schools and cutting services to the poor
because of a chronic budget shortfall, exacerbated by the weak
economy. But on the bright side, we stand to get a whole bunch of
gleaming new prison buildings.

The federal receiver in charge of the state's prison healthcare
system ha s requested $7 billion to pay for seven new facilities for
chronically sick or mentally ill inmates. The Legislature will have
little choice but to go along because the receiver, J. Clark Kelso,
is backed by the power of the federal bench, which can order the
state to spend the money. This comes at a time when the shortfall
has been projected at up to $16.5 billion, though it has since been
reduced through borrowing and budget cuts.

Lawmakers are crying foul about the added burden on the budget, even
though they have no one but themselves to blame. A prison crisis
that combines overcrowding, a negligent healthcare program and a
crumbling juvenile justice system has been worsening for three
decades, during which time dozens of studies have chronicled the
problems and pointed the way to solving them. The reports are now
gathering dust on a shelf somewhere, ignored by lawmakers. Indeed,
legislators and the electorate have decisively made matters worse by
approving get-tough-on-crime initiatives that further cram prisons
and do nothing to address conditions inside.

[snip]

The only solution is to cut the prison population by implementing
reforms such as those suggested by the Little Hoover Commission. And
lawmakers might want to get on with it before they get hit with
another whopping bi ll from the federal justice system. Delay and
inaction have gotten us to this point; only the courage to act on
these proposals will get us out.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n396/a04.html

===

(15) OPED: 'PROHIBITION' FORCES POLICE TO WASTE RESOURCES

Pubdate: Thu, 17 Apr 2008
Source: Buffalo News (NY)
Copyright: 2008 The Buffalo News
Author: Peter Christ, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

I commend the work of all the agencies involved in the March 26 drug
bust in Erie and Niagara counties. I'm a retired police captain from
the Town of Tonawanda, and I understand the difficulty of the job
they have to do. But I do have one question: Why do we put our
police officers in this position?

Look at the manpower used in this drug bust. The agencies used 100
officers to track down 36 suspects. They also say that at 4 a.m.
they used 300 officers, so that's using 8.3 officers per arrest.
There's nothing wrong with that except that while those 300 officers
are doing that, what other jobs aren't being done? You've got 300 of
them pulled off the streets for a day.

Also, these arrests were preceded by an expensive and lengthy
investigation. What will be the result of all this hard work, money
and time spent? Will we have fewer drugs in our community? No. Will
it be harder for people to get drugs? No. Will it keep drugs out of
the schools? No.

[snip]

Here's an idea for a kinder, gentler drug bust: How about simply not
arresting people for doing drugs? I'm not talking about not
arresting criminals. I'm talking about why we criminalize behavior
that simply isn't criminal.

If you're an alcoholic in this society today, what do we do for you?
Most people respond nothing, but that's not true. We have treatment
on demand for the alcoholic. There's no waiting list for Alcoholics
Anonymous; anyone who wants to come in gets treatment.

[snip]

The only way to have a kinder and gentler approach to dealing with
our drug problems is to have a regulated and controlled
marketplace. And the only way you can control and regulate the
marketplace is to legalize the drugs. All of them.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n396/a01.html

=======================================================================

Cannabis & Hemp-
---------------------------

COMMENT: (16-19)

The burgeoning medical cannabis industry in California is spawning
a proliferation of spin-off businesses, including now a place of
higher learning.

Record numbers turned out around the world to peacefully celebrate
4/20. As usual, very few problems were caused by these large
gatherings, in sharp contrast to, for example, a drunken riot that
broke out in Montreal two days later following a hockey game.

A bill that would decriminalize possession of a quarter ounce or
less of cannabis passed in the New Hampshire House, but it may be
vetoed by the governor if it is not killed by a seemingly hostile
Senate.

A Canadian couple are challenging the authority and science behind
a community bylaw that allows police officers to enter homes without
a warrant on the heels of fire and electrical inspectors.

===

(16) MARIJUANA 101: SCHOOL TEACHES INS, OUTS OF POT

Pubdate: Mon, 21 Apr 2008
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2008 Hearst Communications Inc.
Author: Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer
Cited: Oaksterdam University http://www.oaksterdamuniversity.com/

Oakland -- Ryan and Matthew Epperley awoke at 4 a.m. in Redding,
loaded their Dodge Durango with clothes for the weekend and arrived in
Oakland on a Saturday morning just in time to attend their first class
at Oaksterdam University.

The brothers were among 20 people enrolled in the two-day course that,
by Sunday evening, would teach them how to own and operate a pot club
in California. They'd learn how to grow their product indoors, harvest
it and cook with it, and hear from several lecturers on the legality
of such a practice.

Ryan, 30, resembled Larry the Cable Guy with his well-worn baseball
cap and a sleeveless shirt that revealed a shoulder tattoo of a skull
and dagger. He was awake late one night watching television when he
saw a report on Oaksterdam.

"I jumped right up and wrote down the phone number," Ryan said. "I
knew right then, if we can get in on the ground floor and this thing
takes off - we'll make a killing."

Ryan is not alone in his exuberance. Almost 12 years after California
voters passed Proposition 215, the state initiative that allows
dispensaries to sell marijuana to people with medical recommendations
from a doctor, pot clubs have become a lucrative business. About 500
clubs in California bring in an estimated $870 million to $2 billion
in revenue annually, according to the State Board of Equalization.

Yet the mixed legal messages over pot clubs - California allows it,
but the federal government does not - is what caused Ryan's brother,
Matthew, to get in the car and join his older brother.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n413.a08.html

===

(17) CU'S 4/20 POT SMOKE-OUT DRAWS CROWD OF 10,000

Pubdate: Sun, 20 Apr 2008
Source: Daily Camera (Boulder, CO)
Copyright: 2008 The Daily Camera.
Author: Vanessa Miller

"Nine, eight, seven ... "

A crowd of about 10,000 people collectively began counting down on the
University of Colorado's Norlin Quadrangle just before 4:20 p.m.
today.

Yet the massive puff of pot smoke that hovers over CU's Boulder campus
every April 20 - the date of an annual, internationally recognized
celebration of marijuana - began rising over the sea of heads earlier
than normal this year.

"Oh forget it," one student said, aborting the countdown to 4:20 p.m.
and lighting his pipe early. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, long
drag.

"Sweet."

Although it's become an annual and renowned event at CU, this year's
4/20 celebration was different in some ways than in many previous
years: The crowd was so large it migrated from the long-traditional
site of Farrand Field to the larger Norlin quad; festivities kicked
off earlier than normal with daytime concerts; and CU police handed
out zero citations.

"At this point, none are anticipated," said CU police Cmdr. Brad
Wiesley.

Officers in the past have gone to great lengths to catch people in the
illegal act of smoking pot on 4/20.

In 2006, CU police dispatched undercover photographers to snap
pictures of smokers. Photos of 150 alleged offenders then were posted
on the department's Web site, and witnesses were offered $50 to
positively identify the suspects - who then were ticketed. Another
year, smokers on Farrand were doused with sprinklers.

"We can't do the same thing year after year," Wiesley said hours
before today's smoking began. "So I doubt we'll do anything like the
pictures. ... There's no way our 12 to 15 officers are going to be
able to deal with a crowd of 10,000. We just can't do strong
enforcement when we're outnumbered 700 or 800 to one."

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n411.a04.html

===

(18) SENATE MAY SNUFF MARIJUANA BILL

Pubdate: Wed, 23 Apr 2008
Source: Concord Monitor (NH)
Copyright: 2008 Monitor Publishing Company
Author: Lauren R. Dorgan

State senators from both parties parried with advocates of marijuana
decriminalization yesterday, asking a number of skeptical questions
about a bill that cleared the House but appears doomed in the Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee did not take a vote on the bill,
although its chairman, Sen. Joe Foster, has previously said he knows
of no senator who supports it. Minutes after the House passed the
bill, Gov. John Lynch announced that he would veto the measure, which
would decriminalize possession of a quarter of an ounce of marijuana
and cut penalties to a fine.

[snip]

At the marijuana hearing, Sens. Bob Clegg and David Gottesman zeroed
in on how the bill would compare with underage drinking laws, which in
some cases result in stricter penalties.

Clegg, a Hudson Republican, also said other laws make transporting
marijuana or possessing paraphernalia illegal.

"If they have a quarter ounce, how would they get to use it?" Clegg
said. "They can't smoke it in a pipe, and they can't roll it?"

Noting that the quarter ounce of marijuana that would be
decriminalized under House Bill 1623 equates to about eight joints,
Clegg said that someone could be charged with a violation for
possession of the drug but eight misdemeanors for each rolling paper.
Afterward, Clegg said: "This bill gives a false sense of security."

But a variety of proponents of decriminalization - including a medical
student and a corrections officer - argued that the bill would be a
first step in correcting a drug policy that they argued was excessive
and ineffectual. Matt Simon, of the advocacy group New Hampshire
Common Sense, said that 11 other states have passed decriminalization
laws.

"None of the gloom-and-doom scenarios have happened," Simon said.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n421.a08.html

===

(19) POT LAW CHALLENGED AS RIGHTS VIOLATION

Pubdate: Tue, 22 Apr 2008
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 The Vancouver Sun
Author: Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun

Couple Fights Legislation Allowing Police and Inspectors to Enter
Homes

Provincial legislation allowing police and safety inspectors to enter
homes suspected of being used to grow marijuana is being challenged by
a lawyer representing a Hells Angels associate, assisted by lawyers
from the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.

Victoria lawyer Joseph Arvay, who represents Surrey residents Jason
Arkinstall and Jennifer Green, told B.C. Supreme Court Justice William
Smart that the authorities were not entitled to enter someone's home
without a proper warrant, and that to cut off electrical power if a
person won't permit entry was a violation of the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has been granted intervenor
status in the case that is being heard in chambers. BCCLA litigation
director Grace Pastine said Monday that the legislation was being used
as a "tool to conduct warrantless searches of citizens' homes which
was a clear violation of the Charter."

Arvay described the provincial government's attempts to use the Safety
Standards Amendment Act to close down marijuana-growing operations as
"moral panic" caused by frustration and exasperation at not being able
to cope with the numbers of such operations in the province.

The province should not exceed its power and if the authorities could
use this to bust growing operations, Arvay asked, what was to prevent
them from doing the same for suspected gambling dens or pedophilia
rings?

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n419.a02.html

=======================================================================

International News
---------------------------

COMMENT: (20-23)

A background piece from the Washington Post this week sheds some
light on the deteriorating border situation with Mexico. Authorities
chop the head off of cartel after cartel, only to unleash more
violence as smaller drug trafficking organizations jockey for the
lucrative trade. Entire police forces have resigned after threats
from increasingly brazen traffickers, as happened last month in
Puerto Palomas, Mexico. U.S. officials worry they are unprepared for
an influx of Mexican police seeking asylum from drug cartel
violence.

The New Zealand government, with the best of intentions, banned the
"part y pill" BZP. As a result of the BZP prohibition, manufactures
and users closed the gap by switching to a variety of other, less
well-known pills that are not banned. "Many are sold without age
restrictions and carry limited information about ingredients." Some
"users are suffering significant side effects, including vomiting"
from the legal pills.

In Afghanistan, western troops aren't doing enough to support Afghan
opium eradication, says Kandahar Governor Asadullah Khalid in the
Canadian Glob e and Mail newspaper last week. So far, 13 police were
killed in poppy eradication operations this month, asserted
Asadullah. NATO forces aren't helping, said Asadullah, and even
"appear to be blocking the effort," he claimed.

And in Canada, the Mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, says he isn't
asking the Conservative Harper government to give a green light to a
proposed legal-drug-substitution program, simply in order to then
nix the Insite supervised injection center. "I'm focused on keeping
this one [injection center]... I know it's not the answer, but it is
an important part of getting to the answer."

===

(20) FROM MEXICO, DRUG VIOLENCE SPILLS INTO U.S.

Pubdate: Sun, 20 Apr 2008
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2008 The Washington Post Company
Author: Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post Foreign Service

Brutality Gives Rise to Formidable New Problems for Both Countries

PUERTO PALOMAS, Mexico -- Javier Emilio Perez Ortega, a workaholic
Mexican police chief, showed up at the sleepy, two-lane border
crossing here last month and asked U.S. authorities for political
asylum.

[snip]

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in January while chasing
suspected traffickers fleeing back to Mexico, AK-47 bullets have
been found a half-mile inside U.S. territory after shootouts in
Mexican border towns, and wounded Mexican police have been taken to
the United States for treatment at heavily guarded hospitals.

[snip]

The cartels probably knew that the Mexican military was coming
months before its arrival in late March and saw Puerto Palomas as an
acceptable alternative, a high-ranking Mexican federal government
official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was
not authorized to discuss the campaign against cartels.

"They have their own intelligence operations," the official said of
the cartels. "For them, it's like a chess game."

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n409.a07.html

===

(21) NEW 'SAFE' PARTY PILLS MAKE SOME USERS SICK

Pubdate: Sat, 19 Apr 2008
Source: Dominion Post, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2008 The Dominion Post
Author: Anna Chalmers

THE Health Ministry has launched an investigation into "new
generation" party pills rapidly filling shop shelves, amid reports
that they are making users sick.

[snip]

Many are sold without age restrictions and carry limited information
about ingredients.

The Health Ministry has confirmed it is investigating and has
arranged testing of the new-generation pills through Environmental
Science and Research.

But the Drug Foundation has criticised officials for acting too
slowly, particularly as reports emerge that users are suffering
significant side effects, including vomiting.

Health Ministry public health chief adviser Ashley Bloomfield said
staff had visited retailers and were monitoring websites and blogs
to identify pills that were the "highest priority" for testing.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n406.a07.html

===

(22) NATO UNDERMINING OPIUM FIGHT, KHALID SAYS

Pubdate: Mon, 21 Apr 2008
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2008, The Globe and Mail Company
Author: Graeme Smith

Lack of support from foreign troops for Afghanistan's
poppy-eradication operation costing lives, he says

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- Foreign troops have undermined the Afghan
government's poppy-eradication campaign in Kandahar, the governor
says, and the lack of support has added to the risks of the
operation.

At least 13 police have been killed and one reported missing during
poppy eradication so far this month, and the task has been more
difficult, Governor Asadullah Khalid said, because his NATO allies
refuse to help an d, in some cases, appear to be blocking the
effort.

[snip]

Canadian troops are usually instructed to avoid interfering with
opium cultivation or eradication; Canadian drug policy focuses on
alternative livelihoods for farmers.

[snip]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n415.a01.html

===

(23) SAM CASTS LOT WITH INSITE

Pubdate: Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Vancouver Courier
Author: Mike Howell, Vancouver Courier

Injection Site Seen As Complement to Mayor's Plan

Mayor Sam Sullivan says his proposal for a drug treatment program
for addicts is not a signal to the Conservative government to
approve the program and then shut down the city's supervised
injection site.

Sullivan agreed that not all Conservative members of parliament
support Insite but he said many are also against his Chronic
Addiction Substitution Treatment (CAST) program. The mayor wouldn't
name the MPs.

"I've talked to many ministers who wholeheartedly endorse the
supervised injection site and lobby within their own caucus for it,"
Sullivan told t he Courier. "But some of them are very opposed to
CAST and the ideas behind it, whereas others are very supportive of
it."

[snip]

The mayor denies his comments meant Insite should close. He wants it
to remain open for at least another three-and-a-half years. He added
that Minister Clement is aware of his position.

Sullivan, however, said he won't lobby for more injection sites.
Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe told the Courier last year that he believed
Vancouver needed at least five sites. Lowe is lobbying Health Canada
for three injection sites for Victoria.

"I'm focused on keeping this one," Sullivan said Wednesday. "I know
it's not the answer, but it is an important part of getting to the
answer."

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n399.a07.html

***********************************************************************

HOT OFF THE 'NET
-------------------------------

AMERICA'S GULAG JUST KEEPS GROWING

By Ethan Nadelmann, Drug Policy Alliance

The U.S. dwarfs the rest of the world when it comes to locking up its
citizens, due in large part to madness of our incarceration policies.

http://alternet.org/drugreporter/83434/

===

CANADIAN COURT RULES SNIFFER-DOG SEARCHES ARE UNLAWFUL

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled today that two random searches
conducted by dog sniffers were unlawful.

http://drugsense.org/url/90i8augi

===

FEDS BRING AN OUNCE OF SANITY TO DRUG LAWS WITH THE SECOND CHANCE ACT

By Malakkar Vohryzek

Why are we still incarcerating people who use controlled substances,
when we have ample evidence that this "cure" is worse than the
"disease"?

http://alternet.org/drugreporter/83187/

===

'GATEWAY' TO WASHINGTON

The last two presidents and two of the current candidates have either
used illegal substances or have had substance abuse problems. Does
this show that winners don't always refuse to use drugs? Jacob Sullum
and Charles "Cully" Stimson debate.

http://drugsense.org/url/A2JJ1vwu

===

420 VANCOUVER BC 2008 FULL LENGTH MUSIC VIDEO WITH PICTURES

http://www.jointpapers.com/420%20Videos.html

===

DPA vs. ONDCP

DPA Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann goes head to head with David
Murray, chief scientist for the Office of National Drug Control Policy
in this live debate recorded in Chicago earlier this month.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/docUploads/041408EthanGOAt.mp3

===

DRUG TRUTH NETWORK

Century of Lies- 04/22/08 - David Duncan

Doctor David F. Duncan discusses the lack of valid science to support
the policy of drug war.

http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/1859

Cultural Baggage Radio Show- 04/23/08 - Norm Kent

Norm Kent of NORML at 420 Fest, Dan Bernath of MPP, Doug McVay with
Drug War Facts, Philippe Lucas of VICS & Eddy Lepp - exonerated of
largest ever DEA MJ bust.

http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/1860

===

UN CND: FINAL HUMAN RIGHTS RESOLUTION EMERGES IN DILUTED FORM

Transform Drug Policy Foundation

At March's UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna I had witnessed
at first hand the painful process of some of the more progressive
countries trying to have a resolution on human rights compliance in
international drug policy adopted, against the express wishes of small
group of opposing countries, perhaps unsurprisingly made up largely of
some of the world's most notorious human rights abusers.

http://drugsense.org/url/MzbQzokD

===

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHEDELIC STUDIES NEWS APRIL 2008

The April 2008 MAPS Email News Update is now available online. This
issue, written by David Jay Brown, discusses - among other things -
new developments spawned by MAPS participation in the WPF 2008, the
recent Paris Hallucinations conference, the potential for a new MAPS
sponsored MDMA/PTSD study in France, the 2007 Entheon Village report,
MAPS' Psychedelic Emergency Services programs, Sasha Shulgin's recent
open-heart surgery, and the fantastic new art for sale in the MAPS
Webstore from Carolyn Mary Kleefeld, Brummbaer, and Dean Chamberlain.

http://www.maps.org/sys/nq.pl?id=1558&fmt=stdnews

***********************************************************************

WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK
--------------------------------------------------

NO MORE MARIJUANA ARRESTS

Congress is considering the first marijuana decriminalization bill in
25 years. Urge your representative to support it!

http://drugsense.org/url/HejtFwff

***********************************************************************

LETTER OF THE WEEK
------------------------------------

FALSE POSITIVES

By Redford Givens

A major concern about drug testing is the fact that 65 prescription
and over the counter medications produce false positive results. If
someone takes Advil, Nuprin, Motrin, Excedrin IB ( Ibuprofen ),
Aleve ( Naproxen ) , has a Kidney infection, Diabetes or Liver
Disease there could be a false positive for marijuana. Nyquil,
Contact, Sudafed, Allerest, Tavist-D, Dimetapp, Phenegan-D,
Robitussin Cold and Flu, Vicks Nyquil ( Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine,
propylephedrine, phenylephrine, or desoxyephedrine ) create
erroneous indications for amphetamines. Poppy Seeds, Tylenol with
codeine, Cough suppressants with Dextromethorphan ( DXM ), and most
prescription pain medications produce a false positive for Heroin
use.

Random drug testing has not been proven to deter drug use. In 2003,
the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded the largest study ever
conducted on the topic. Researchers found no differences in illegal
drug use among students in schools that tested and those that did
not.

Incidentally, using a $4 drug test is about as effective as using a
peashooter to hunt elephants, the false positive rate will be
enormous. But what do the Board of Trustees care about how many kids
they wreck so long as they can posture as drug crusaders. A few
expensive law suits because of false positives will give Amador
County Trustees some new financial problems to wrestle with.

While they held office, Peter Bensinger ( former DEA head ), Robert
L Dupont ( former drug czar ) and Carlton Turner ( former drug czar
) shamelessly promoted drug testing as the solution to drug
problems. Later, they joined together to form Bensinger, Dupont &
Associates, the world's largest drug testing company, to cash in
on the drug testing laws they wrote. Bensinger, Dupont & Associates
reaps a fortune for their useless drug testing schemes.

The only beneficiaries of drug testing are the makers of the tests.

Redford Givens, webmaster, DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy

Pubdate: Fri, 18 Apr 2008
Source: Ledger Dispatch (Jackson, CA)

***********************************************************************

FEATURE ARTICLE
-------------------------------

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK IN 2007

By Mary Jane Borden

If you're like most citizens, you've recently computed the amount of
tax you owe both Federal and local governments. Perhaps you're
getting a refund, or maybe you wrote a big check. Whether you're
wealthy, middle class, or poor, what you pay for is what you get,
including the War on Drugs. From the archives of the Media Awareness
Project, here are some things YOU bought with your tax dollars in
2007:

$42,000,000,000 for cannabis prohibition. "Why $42 billion? Because
that'= s what our current marijuana laws cost American taxpayers
each year, according to a new study by researcher Jon Gettman, Ph.D.
-- $10.7 billion in direct law enforcement costs, and $31.1 billion
in lost tax revenues .= Basing his calculations mainly on U.S.
government statistics, Gettman concludes that marijuana in the U.S.
is a $113 billion dollar business. That's a huge chunk of economic
activity that is unregulated and untaxed because it's almost
entirely off the books."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1157/a08.html

$1,400,000,000 for Mexican drug enforcement. "President Bush asked
Congress on Monday to approve a $1.4 billion aid package over the
next three years to help the Mexican government fight narcotics
traffickers . An additional $50 million would go to Central
American countries for the same purposes.= "
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1228/a09.html

$590,000,000 for Colombian drug enforcement and crop spraying.
"About three-quarters of the military aid is dedicated to supporting
the aerial crop spraying program, which uses an enhanced form of
Roundup weed killer , containing the chemical defoliant glyphosate.
What's next -- the 2008 budget. The Bush administration has asked
Congress for $590-million for Colombia in the Foreign Aid Bill. As
in previous years the majority of this money -- $450-million --
would be dedicated to military support."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n780/a09.html

$158,000,000 for marijuana enforcement in Michigan. "Marijuana is
Michigan's third most valuable cash crop with an annual value of
$350 million. Tax free. At the same time, we're spending $158
million to enforce marijuana prohibition and make criminals out of
people like the Johnson's ."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1388/a02.html

$100,000,000 for expanded prisons in Connecticut. A study by the
Drug Policy Alliance, "recommended the state turn down the so-called
three-strikes law mandating automatic life sentences for defendants
convicted of a third violent felony . [such] proposals could cost
the state at least $100 million in annual prison expenses."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n398/a06.html

$10,450,000 for a wrongful death in New York. "The mother of an
unarmed m an killed by an undercover police officer seven years ago
called on the Bronx district attorney's office yesterday to reopen
a criminal investigation after a jury awarded her $10.45 million for
the wrongful death of her son . including $7 million in punitive
damages and $3 million for pain and suffering."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n698/a06.html

$84,000 for drug dogs in Wisconsin. "It costs about $12,000 to buy
each dog and to train it and its handler. These are only seven
dogs, spread across 72 counties."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n406/a04.html

$50,000 for tracking devices and dogs in Indiana. Tippecanoe County,
IN.= "About $50,000 has been brought in this year under prosecutor
Pat Harrington, who took office in January. 'We've now got a bomb
dog and four other canines,' Lendermon said of the sheriff's
department. About $6,300 was used in March and April to buy GPS
tracking devices for the state police and the Indiana Department of
Natural Resources for use in their vehicles."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1431/a05.html

$5,900 for the return of marijuana seized from a California medical
patient. "At least one victory for medical marijuana was won over
the past year when Grover Beach police returned 20 grams of
marijuana to Ken Parson in January. Parson's prescription was
allowed under state law. Grover Beach police were required to return
the marijuana to Parsons or pay a $5,900 fee."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1494/a02.html

The numbers and references above come from actual 2007 newspaper
reports that are stored permanently by volunteer activists in the
DrugSense DrugNews Archive ( http://www.drugnews.org/ ). This
information is available for FREE, but it isn't free to produce.
DrugSense, too, incurs Internet storage, bandwidth, and technical
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know it'= s time to change drug policy. Won't you please devote just
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
------------------------------------

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down, it could at least help you laugh at the world's ongoing folly
and see through all the hypocrisy and bullshit and cheap moralism."

-- Barack Obama

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MGreer@...

Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:22:12 -0500 (CDT)
From: DPA eNews webmaster@...
Subject: Changing Federal Marijuana Law

IN THIS ISSUE

> No More Marijuana Arrests

> Canada Harm Reduction Site

> Sentencing in NJ

> Prison Reform in CT


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOP STORIES

Changing Federal Marijuana Law

The first federal marijuana decriminalization bill in 25 years was just introduced in Congress. Tell your representative to support H.R. 5843, the "Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008."
Continue: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=qTUj54p2g6aaYz49rML7Sw..


Government-appointed Panel Calls Supervised Injection Site a Success

An expert panel appointed by Canada's national health agency recently concluded that Vancouver's supervised injection site is saving money and lives, increasing access to health care and treatment, and improving public order--all without increasing crime.
Continue: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=ACb-oUvbpcxv_eb-J3kr9A..


New Jersey Takes First Step Towards Sentencing Reform

A bill signed into law this week in New Jersey increases treatment access for people in the criminal justice system. However, the bill does not address larger sentencing issues in the state. DPA New Jersey will soon be launching a broader reform campaign that will focus on the social and economic costs of incarcerating large numbers of nonviolent drug law violators.
Continue: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=BGIXHUZGUsIMRrPb41j_ng..


Diversion Works in Connecticut

Connecticut's prison population reached record high levels this year. Without swift corrective measures, taxpayers will likely be burdened with excessive and rising costs to pay for capacity expansion. A new report outlines how Connecticut can save money and increase public safety by diverting people with mental health and substance abuse issues away from prison.
Continue: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=fQ5tUrPXEJqPsr5VH5gFfg..


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COMMUNITY

"As I listened closely to the words of these clergymen and clergy women, I believe they have their heart in the proper place. ... They are still saying drugs are dangerous. Of course, drugs manufactured in the woods by amateurs under no quality standards are dangerous. We can only change that by ending the prohibition laws."

-- weirdharold, in the DPA discussion forum

Join the discussion: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=LwNmN1E71XZNQogzGMXg6Q..


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ANNOUNCEMENTS

New York City Event: Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=g_cyilM9j06pq8oh8GHGqA..

Audio Debate: DPA Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann vs. ONDCP's David Murray
http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=7X8imrMPLGC-zZySzhni_A..

New eNews Schedule
http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=U40B3HL4f0opKizcJWbyog..

The eNews has moved to a once-a-month schedule. To get more of the latest from DPA, sign up for our action alerts and other publications.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tell Your Friends

If you know someone who may be interested in receiving this
newsletter, you can easily forward up to five copies at once.
http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=7rcF2Hp9RwV065Ot2-bPNg..

Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:45:46 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Bill Piper, DPA" webmaster@...
Subject: No More Marijuana Arrests

Dear Supporter,

The first federal marijuana decriminalization bill in 25 years was just introduced in Congress. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced H.R. 5843, the "Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008," which would decriminalize possession of marijuana for personal use. Please urge your representative to support this important legislation: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=XGEH9mBT8k8ete_IUSSIUg..

A deluge of messages from constituents will help members of Congress feel more confident in declaring their support for the bill. We don't expect the bill to become law just yet, but it will help us find out which members of Congress support marijuana decriminalization and which do not. The more representatives who co-sponsor it, the more support we can show for marijuana law reform.

Take action now: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=PNrIwz_wRLuEPHC4dTbZmw..

Last year alone the police made almost 830,000 arrests for marijuana law offenses in the United States. 89 percent of those arrests were for posssession for personal use. Those arrested were seperated from their families, branded criminals, and in many cases fired from their jobs and denied school loans and other public assistance. The arrests cost taxpayers billions of dollars and consumed an estimated 4.5 million law enforcment hours (that's the equivalent of taking 112,500 law enforcement officers off the streets).

H.R. 5843 would make it legal under federal law for adults to possess up to 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of marijuana for personal use. It would also allow not-for-profit transfers of up to one ounce of marijuana between consenting adults. Please urge your member of Congress to support this bill: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=437fU9KiCRrkOj_WJxme_g..

Our executive director, Ethan Nadelmann, made a powerful case for ending marijuana prohibition in a 2004 cover story in National Review: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=O2ku2I8EwAsV6EzyKHcy3w..

Sincerely,

Bill Piper
Director of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance

MORE INFORMATION:

--In 1972 a special commission formed by Congress and President Richard Nixon concluded that punitive marijuana laws do more harm than good. Among other things, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse urged states and the federal government to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Twelve states eventually did, but most states and the federal government ignored the report. You can read the National Commission's 1972 report here: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=GnXZUvz0T1uChoXXG2k5Sw..

--Since 1972 twelve states have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, and Oregon. Decriminalization generally means people caught possessing marijuana for personal use are not subjected to imprisonment for at least their first offense, although they may be subject to a small fine.

--A 2001 Zogby poll found that 61 percent of Americans oppose arresting and jailing nonviolent marijuana smokers. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found that 72 percent of Americans think people arrested for marijuana possession should face fines and not jail time.

--A study that examined arrest statistics for smoking or possessing marijuana in public in New York City from 1980 through 2006 found that blacks were four times as likely as whites to receive jail time for possession of marijuana. Hispanics were three times as likely. In 2002 about 2.4 percent of all marijuana users were arrested for marijuana possession. The arrest rate for blacks was 94 percent higher.