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Telling the Truth about Drug Prohibition
by Sheriff Bill Masters [Sheriff of San Miguel County (Telluride) for 20 years]
"...Hundreds of good looking, bright, enthusiastic young people swarmed the hallways. They are all going through the FBI academy training. At lunch we would all go up to the large cafeteria in the academy building, once again surrounded by a sea of new recruits....The agent said, 'Sheriff, these aren't FBI agents -- they are all DEA agents. The Drug Enforcement Administration is using the FBI Academy to train more agents for the drug war.'"
"Through the rest of the day the CASKU agents and I went over homicide cases as pictures of murder victims flashed on a screen. The next day on the plane home I stewed silently and thought: What kind of peace officer, what kind of society would allow a peace officer to use one minute of time, spend one dollar, or use any jail cell for a marijuana smoker, when vicious child murderers are on the loose?...After being a drug warrior for many years -- and being good at it -- after receiving the DEA's award for outstanding achievements in the field of drug law enforcement, I realized I had failed my community by not carefully analyzing the problem. I had become part of the drug hysteria."

. . . Read more!


posted by Hal 9:38 PM

 

The "War on Drugs" and particularly the war on marijuana users, gets major attention on national television this week.
Just Say No: Government’s War on Drugs Fails - July 30, 2002 - by John Stossel - ABC News. Have you ever used illegal drugs? The government says a third of Americans have at some point — and about 5 percent use them regularly. The War on Drugs, A War on Ourselves: The prime-time investigation questions whether the drug war causes more problems than the drugs themselves.
July 29, 2002 - MSNBC's Phil Donahue Show - Discussing the initiative on Nevada's November ballot that would end the war on marijuana users by removing all penalties for the possession and use of marijuana by adults. [Click here to support the Nevada initiative.] Click here to read transcripts from the show....Guests include former Drug Czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey, New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, former Reagan and Nixon aide and medical marijuana supporter Lyn Nofziger, and San Francisco city Supervisor Mark Leno.

. . . Read more!


posted by Hal 9:03 PM

 

S.F. considers growing its own. Ballot measure will ask city to cultivate pot for medicinal use
sfgate.com -- San Francisco could become the first city in the nation to get into the pot-growing business to supply patients with medicinal marijuana, under a measure headed for the November ballot. The measure would urge city officials to explore growing cannabis and distributing it to seriously ill patients who have an OK from their doctors -- in apparent defiance of federal law. Supervisor Mark Leno drafted the measure out of frustration with the Drug Enforcement Administration's determination to close down clubs that distribute medical marijuana in California. He said state voters made it clear when they approved Proposition 215 in 1996 that they support medicinal marijuana. "If the federal government insists on standing in our way locally, we must take matters into our own hands and protect the lives of our community members and protect their right to access life-saving medicine," said Leno, Democratic nominee for the state Assembly seat representing the eastern half of San Francisco.

. . . Read more!


posted by West 12:19 PM

 

Nevada Voters split on marijuana issue
Las Vegas Review Journal -- Nevadans are divided on whether they would vote for a constitutional amendment to legalize possession of 3 ounces or less of marijuana, a new statewide poll shows. The survey found 44 percent of respondents back the initiative to legalize marijuana that will be on November statewide election ballots. Forty-six percent oppose the idea, and the other 10 percent are undecided.

. . . Read more!


posted by West 10:08 AM

 

Britain may ban kava, U.S. will study
LONDON, July 19 (UPI) -- A British government agency is considering banning the herbal remedy kava because it has been linked with severe liver toxicity, but the move probably will not prompt the United States to do the same as it keeps a watchful eye over the situation, officials told United Press International. In a letter dated Thursday, the chairman of the advisory panel the Committee on Safety of Medicines recommended prohibiting the sale, import, and supply of unlicensed products containing kava in the United Kingdom after reports of 68 cases of liver toxicity worldwide resulting in six liver transplants and three deaths. There have been three cases of severe liver side effects among kava users in England. The move comes shortly after the German government revoked the licenses of authorized products containing kava kava because of health concerns. CSM Chairman Professor Alasdair Breckenridge told UPI other European countries have implemented strict regulations on kava. "In France, Portugal and Spain, kava products have been suspended, with the exception of some homeopathic preparations," Breckenridge said. "There has also been a voluntary withdrawal of kava kava products by the herbal sector in Ireland." Despite events across the Atlantic, U.S. rules on kava remain unchanged, though the government, independent organizations and scientific experts are keeping in contact with European scientists and officials regarding kava's potential side effects. There are no plans to recommend banning products containing kava. "The FDA will continue to investigate the relationship, if any, between the use of dietary supplements containing kava and liver injury and will alert consumers, if necessary, when more information becomes available," a Food and Drug Administration official told UPI. An FDA advisory bulletin on March 25 warned consumers about kava. "Liver-related risks associated with the use of kava have prompted regulatory agencies in other countries, including those in Germany, Switzerland, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom, to take action," the bulletin said. "Although liver damage appears to be rare, FDA believes consumers should be informed of this potential risk." To date, the FDA has received one report of a young healthy female kava user who required a liver transplant and several other reports of kava users developing liver problems, such as jaundice. However, Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council and a professor at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin, said a cause-and-effect relationship between kava use and liver complications has not been established. "Most of the cases being reported are associated with people who have pre-existing liver disease or (use) kava and alcohol," or people who took kava with prescription medications that should not be combined with the herb, Blumenthal told UPI. "When you look at the number of kava cases reported tied to liver effects and you look at the number of millions of dosages that are used, some reports suggest kava is no worse than some of the drugs prescribed for anxiety." Kava -- also called kava kava -- is an herb indigenous to the South Pacific and is used primarily to treat insomnia and anxiety. Throughout the South Pacific, it is drunk frequently as a tea and there have been few incidences of liver problems, Blumenthal explained. Because herbal remedies can be bought anywhere, he said, it is likely there will be more reports of side effects among kava users because they could be taking the supplement inappropriately. "Why not have proper warning labels on herbs?" he said. "The FDA has not in some cases fully exercised its authority in the area of regulating herbs." Under the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, herbal products are not required to be tested scientifically for safety or efficacy as is required by the FDA of all drugs sold in the U.S. market. In Europe, many herbs are more tightly regulated and often are prescribed by physicians and dispensed through pharmacies, though anyone can purchase supplements on the Internet at their own risk. "People shouldn't self-prescribe kava," said Lise Alschuler, clinical medical director at Bastyr University, in Seattle, a school devoted to the study of naturopathic and botanical medicine. "Kava, the herb itself is not inherently dangerous." However, patients taking kava should do so under their doctor's supervision, she said. Because of Europe's regulations over dietary supplements, there is more accurate reporting of side effects among supplement users, Alschuler explained. It is possible problems linked to kava use could be underreported in this country. "We're certainly looking at the data in Europe and from that, we're being cautious," she said. But banning kava products appears heavy-handed, Alschuler added. "The recommendation that's coming out of England is a bit of a over-reaction."

. . . Read more!


posted by West 6:06 PM

 

Sixteen weeks from today, an historic initiative to end the war on all marijuana users will be on the statewide ballot in Nevada. Until last week, the Marijuana Policy Project had been running a stealth campaign in Nevada. One week ago, the Nevada state government announced that the initiative has officially qualified for the ballot. See news on Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement

. . . Read more!


posted by Hal 4:46 AM

 

First Federal Medical Marijuana Conviction
Medical Provider Faces 10 Year Mandatory Minimum Sentence
SACRAMENTO -- In a first-ever federal conviction of a medical marijuana provider, the jury in a Sacramento court found that Chico resident Bryan Epis yesterday on criminal conspiracy and drug manufacturing charges. Even as some of America's closest allies have moved to decriminalize recreational use of the drug and despite a six year old state law that allows access to medical marijuana for seriously ill patients acting on their doctor's advice, federal laws mandate that Epis spend at least 10 years behind bars.

. . . Read more!


posted by Hal 7:23 PM

 

Senate Bill Could Cost You $250,000 and 20 years in prison
Drug War Task Force: Stop the Senate From Banning Marijuana Rallies and Other Events. Congress is trying to take away your property rights and stop people from dancing -- all in the name of the War on Drugs. The R.A.V.E. Act, S. 2633, is moving swiftly to passage. This bill is a threat to our all of our civil liberties and potentially affects everyone who has ever held any type of social gathering on their property.
Property Rights and Right to Dance Under Attack
The Senate should reject S. 2633 (the RAVE Act), which is a threat to property rights and the right to dance. See the Drug Policy Alliance Fact Sheets.

. . . Read more!


posted by Hal 1:44 PM

 

Britain to relax laws against marijuana use
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will respond this week to a dramatic surge in cannabis use by easing laws and allowing millions of marijuana users to smoke without fear of arrest. Pressure from police, medical experts and politicians for Britain to take a less punitive approach has swayed Home Secretary David Blunkett, who is expected Wednesday to downgrade it to a low risk category C drug. The downgrade -- making cannabis a Class C rather than Class B drug -- will put the drug in the same category as anabolic steroids and growth hormones and make possessing small amounts of it or smoking it in private a non-arrestable offense. A report published in late 2001 showed cannabis as the most commonly used illicit drug in the European Union, with at least one in 10 adults in the 15-nation group having used it.

. . . Read more!


posted by Hal 7:32 PM

 

Unsolicited Prozac in the Mail
(Alchemind.org, July 8, 2002)
This article discusses the latest tactic in psycho-pharmaceutical marketing; direct-to-consumer mailing of drugs. Millions of people say they have benefited from taking Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors like Fluoxetine hydrochloride (the active ingredient in Prozac). But marketing practices like the one discussed in this article, in addition to showing the aggressiveness with which major pharmaceutical companies seek new customers/consumers, raise disturbing issues concerning corporatized “drug pushing,” and medical privacy.

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 10:35 AM

 

Drugs leak sows policy confusion in the UK
(Kamal Ahmed, The Observer, July 7, 2002)
The Government's drugs policy was mired in confusion last night after a leaked letter revealed that David Blunkett is seeking to 'get tough' with dealers in cannabis by doubling jail sentences. . . . An announcement will be made this week that the Government is to lay an order before the House of Commons moving cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug. It will come as part of the official response to the ground-breaking Home Affairs Select Committee report on drugs earlier this year, which called for the decriminalisation of cannabis. . . . But the letter shows that the Home Secretary will also legislate to double the maximum length of sentence dealers will serve from five to 10 years, putting dealing in cannabis on a par with serious gun crime and violent assault. . . . Drugs campaigners said the new power would defeat the object of reclassifying cannabis, because the police would still be wasting resources picking up users. . . . 'Government takes the supply and dealing of cannabis very seriously and accordingly it intends to bring forward legislation to increase the maximum penalty for supplying and dealing in Class C drugs from 5 to 10 years' imprisonment.' . . . Blunkett is also about to announce a campaign aimed at young people, warning about the dangers of drugs - particularly cannabis. . . . [Hagerty comment: The UK takes one step forward and six steps back. Although there are no known deaths due to cannabis, the government continues to marshal it's resources against this substance while continuing its support of alcohol and tobacco. It looks like the U.S. isn't the only place where the lunatics are running the asylum.

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 11:41 AM

 

Supreme Court Rules in Student Drug Testing Case
(Richard Glen Boire, Alchemind Society, July 2, 2002)
the Fourth Amendment has become a historical artifact, a quaint relic from bygone days when our country honored the “scrupulous protection of Constitutional freedoms of the individual.” . . . The Court’s ruling turns logic on its head, giving the insides of students’ bodies less protection than the insides of their backpacks, the contents of their bodily fluids less protection than the contents of their telephone calls. The decision elevates the myopic hysteria of a preposterous “zero-tolerance” drug war, over basic values such as respect and dignity for our nation’s young people. . . . The federal government has tried everything from threatening imprisonment to yanking student loans, to spending hundreds of millions of dollars on “just say no” advertisements, and still, some students continue to experiment with marijuana and other drugs. Like it or not, some students will use illegal drugs before graduating from high school, just as some students will have sex. Perhaps it’s time to rethink the wisdom of declaring a “war on drugs” and adopt instead a realistic and effective strategy more akin to safe-sex education. . . .
Aside from eviscerating the Fourth Amendment rights of the nation’s 23 million public school students and imposing a punishment that harms society as much at it harms students, the decision foreshadows a constitutional Dark Ages. When a young person is told to urinate in a cup within earshot of an intently listening school authority, and then ordered to turn over her urine for chemical examination, what “reasonable expectation of privacy” remains? When today’s students graduate and walk out from behind the schoolhouse gates, what will become of society’s “reasonable expectation of privacy?” . . . And that is perhaps the greatest tragedy of last Thursday’s ruling. The decision not only victimizes our children, it makes them the enemy. Being a public school student is now synonymous with being a criminal suspect or a prisoner. The values of trust and respect have been chased from the schoolyards and replaced with baseless suspicion and omnipresent policing. The lesson for America’s students as they stand in line with urine bottles in hand, is that the Fourth Amendment’s guarantee is a broken promise, yesterday’s dusty trophy, worthy only of lip service.. . . The lesson for the rest of us is that the so-called “war on drugs” desperately needs rethinking.

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 1:51 PM

 

Hallucinogens: A Reader ... by Charles S. Grob
It's been forty years since Timothy Leary sat beside a swimming pool in Cuernavaca, Mexico, ingested several grams of the genus Stropharia cubensis, and experienced a dazzling display of visions that led him to herald the dawning of a New Age. And yet, from the counterculture movement of the 1960s, through the War on Drugs, to this very day, the world at large has viewed hallucinogens not as a gift but as a threat to society.

In Hallucinogens, Charles Grob surveys recent writings from such important thinkers as Terence McKenna, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil, illustrating that a reevaluation of the social worth of hallucinogens-used intelligently-is greatly in order.

About the Author
Charles S. Grob, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine.

. . . Read more!


posted by LoZo 3:35 PM

 

Nevada may legalize marijuana

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Until recently, Nevada had the strictest marijuana laws in the country. But voters have legalized medical marijuana, the legislature loosened the law for small quantities, and now a ballot measure would legalize possession of up to 3 ounces of the popular intoxicant.

. . . Read more!


posted by A Curmudgeon 10:13 AM

 

The cannabis war
By Richard Glen Boire

In an opinion issued recently by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, some marijuana-using Rastafarians may be protected under a religious-freedom law passed by Congress in 1993.

. . . Read more!


posted by A Curmudgeon 5:54 PM