Drug War Chronicle
(formerly The Week Online with DRCNet)
Issue #374
-- 2/11/05
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"
Phillip S. Smith, Editor
David Borden, Executive Director
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- EDITORIAL:
A
CAUTIOUS
FIRST
STEP
The
northern
North
Americans
in
Canada
are
taking
another
cautious
step
for
drug
policy
reform.
The
stakes
--
saving
a
generation
of
heroin
addicts.
- FIRST
NORTH
AMERICAN
HEROIN
MAINTENANCE
STUDY
NOW
UNDERWAY
IN
VANCOUVER
Hard-core
heroin
users
began
lining
up
this
week
in
Vancouver
to
participate
in
a
pioneering
study
where
researchers
will
provide
them
with
free
heroin.
- DRCNET
INTERVIEW:
MARIJUANA
POLICY
PROJECT
DIRECTOR
ROB
KAMPIA
Rob
Kampia
and
Chuck
Thomas
split
with
the
National
Organization
for
the
Reform
of
Marijuana
Laws
to
form
the
Marijuana
Policy
Project
in
1995.
DRCNet
spoke
Tuesday
with
Kampia,
the
organization's
executive
director,
to
look
back
at
where
the
group
and
the
movement
has
been
and
forward
at
what
comes
next.
- DRCNET
BOOK
REVIEW:
"IT'S
JUST
A
PLANT,"
BY
RICARDO
CORTES
(2005,
MAGIC
PROPAGANDA
MILL,
$17.95
HB)
This
beautifully
illustrated
children's
story
about
marijuana
provides
a
sober,
thoughtful,
and
non-propagandistic
treatment
of
the
issue
for
curious
children
and
nervous
parents.
- DRUG
WAR
CHRONICLE'S
PHIL
SMITH
FEATURED
IN
NEW
BOOK
--
"UNDER
THE
INFLUENCE"
AVAILABLE
AS
DRCNET
PREMIUM
Drug
War
Chronicle
needs
your
support
to
do
things
right
in
2005
--
donate
and
get
a
complimentary
copy
of
the
book
"Under
The
Influence,"
including
two
chapters
by
Chronicle
editor
Phil
Smith!
- NEWSBRIEF:
THIS
WEEK'S
CORRUPT
COPS
STORIES
This
week
we
revisit
a
pair
of
stories
on
which
we
previously
reported,
examine
a
pair
of
marginally
corrupt
cases,
one
involving
a
police
narc
and
one
involving
a
prosecutor,
and
look
at
one
absolutely
hideous
example
of
corrupt
and
thuggish
policing
of
the
foulest
sort.
- NEWSBRIEF:
MEMPHIS
TAXPAYERS
TO
PAY
BIG
TIME
FOR
POLICE
DRUG
RAID
KILLING
The
good
burghers
of
Memphis
are
about
to
make
a
big
pay-out
for
the
behavior
of
their
police
in
a
2002
drug
raid
gone
bad.
- NEWSBRIEF:
BUSH
BUDGET
SLASHES
FUNDS
FOR
LOCAL
POLICE,
INCREASES
DEA
FUNDING
In
a
2006
federal
budget
proposal
marked
by
hefty
increases
for
the
Pentagon
and
the
State
Department
and
belt-tightening
for
almost
everyone
else,
even
spending
for
police
is
on
the
chopping
block.
But
not
for
the
DEA.
- NEWSBRIEF:
WHAT
METH
EPIDEMIC?
NATIONAL
SURVEY
SHOWS
AMPHETAMINE
USE
UNCHANGED
FROM
YEAR
EARLIER
About
1.2
million
people
reported
using
methamphetamine
or
prescription
stimulants
for
non-medical
reasons
in
2003,
according
to
the
government's
annual
National
Survey
on
Drug
Use
and
Health
--
a
number
virtually
unchanged
from
the
2002.
With
meth
use
seemingly
leveled
off,
one
might
ask,
what
meth
epidemic?
- NEWSBRIEF:
DEATH
SQUAD
KILLINGS
SPIKE
UPWARD
IN
DAVAO
The
human
rights
component
of
a
joint
training
exercise
between
US
and
Philippine
agencies
has
yet
to
sink
in,
with
summary
executions
in
Davao
spiking
upward
at
45
last
week.
Calls
for
an
investigation
are
growing.
- NEWSBRIEF:
INDIAN
GOVERNMENT
BLINKS
IN
FACE
OF
THREATENED
DRUG
SHORTAGE
India's
pharmaceutical
industry,
trade
associations,
and
retail
pharmacists
have
given
consumers
three
more
weeks
of
access
to
prescription
drugs
ranging
from
Valium
to
morphine
and
beyond,
as
the
government
promises
to
look
into
a
campaign
of
arrests
and
harassment
by
the
country's
zealous
Narcotics
Control
Board.
- NEWSBRIEF:
MARIJUANA
REFORM
UNDER
ATTACK
IN
WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
As
elections
loom
in
Western
Australia,
the
Labor
government
of
Premier
Geoff
Gallop
is
under
broad
attack
for
its
liberalization
of
marijuana
laws
in
the
state.
- NEWSBRIEF:
BOB
MARLEY
BIRTHDAY
BASH
IN
ADDIS
ABABA
COMES
OFF
WITHOUT
A
HITCH
Despite
warnings
last
week
from
the
US
State
Department
that
Ethiopia
has
strict
drug
laws
and
would
be
practicing
heavy
security
during
the
annual
Bob
Marley
Foundation
festival
in
Addis
Ababa,
Sunday's
concert
went
off
without
a
hitch
for
the
hundreds
of
thousands
in
attendance.
- NEWSBRIEF:
LONDON
POLICE
CHIEF
RAMPS
UP
RHETORICAL
WAR
ON
MIDDLE-CLASS
COCAINE
USE
Incoming
London
Metropolitan
Police
Commissioner
Sir
Ian
Blair
continued
his
campaign
of
verbal
promises
to
go
after
recreational
cocaine
users
for
a
second
week.
- WEB
SCAN:
DEBRA
SAUNDERS,
DRUG
WAR
CAROL,
DPA
WEB
CHAT,
DRUG
TRUTH
RADIO
Drug
reform
to
check
out
in
mainstream
and
alternative
media
and
on
the
web.
- THIS
WEEK
IN
HISTORY
Events
and
quotes
of
note
from
this
week's
drug
policy
events
of
years
past.
- ERRATA:
METH
BILL
SPONSOR
Correction
to
January
28th
methamphetamine
"CLEAN
UP
Act"
story.
- THE
REFORMER'S
CALENDAR
Showing
up
at
an
event
can
be
the
best
way
to
get
involved!
Check
out
this
week's
listings
for
events
from
today
through
next
year,
across
the
US
and
around
the
world!
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